Super Robot Wars PERFECT SHIFT
by Exia66
Summary: Two worlds exist within the known galaxy, the worlds of Earth and that of Midchilda. When a devastating war threatens the safety of both worlds, a group of extraordinary individuals will risk everything to protect them. With godly powers, ancient machines, every day technology and hope, what happens when the worlds of futuristic technology and ancient magic collide? Rated T.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: All of the following material is owned by their respective owners. I claim ownership over nothing! Nothing, I say! So, please. Don't sue me!

* * *

If every choice, if every action and every moment led you close to the end, would you risk sacrificing yourself, body and soul, to protect everything you ever cared for?

If you were given the choice, would you become a god and protect the people, or would you become a devil and destroy the people you had once sought to protect?

Perhaps those questions are better left for elsewhere and for a better time. I want you to hold those questions in your hearts until we met again, brave warrior.

For we SHALL meet again, someday in the sea of stars known as space.

* * *

So yeah, Hi folks! I haven't bothered posting anything for the last few years with good reason. (All my work got wiped!) Hey, that doesn't mean anything bad though. After all, Neon Genesis: Celestial Reform was always meant to act as a prequel to a bigger project AKA this one.

Bigger, badder and lots more of everything I had planned for NG: CR. This time, featuring more. Lots more.

Anyway; here's the series list I'll be using for this. The story is split into two seasons (or acts if you want to get technical)

There will be original material for some of the series, mainly Eva stuff that I had planned for NG: CR to put the Evas on par with the 00 units considering universal power differences.

Series with an F beside them will indicate filler units (characters and units only) and series with ( ) will indicate if I wish to use elements from other connecting with them, in addition to the main plot.

SERIES LIST:

**SEASON 1- H.E.A.V.E.N And Earth**

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack : F

Deus Machina Demonbane (elements from TV and the visual novel included)  
Super Heavy God Gravion + Gravion Zwei  
God Bless Dancougar (Combined with Nova plot)  
Dancougar Nova  
King of Braves GaoGaiGar (TV + Blockaded Numbers)  
Mobile Suit Gundam 00- First Season  
Neon Genesis Evangelion TV (Rebuild, Evangelions 2, Battle Orchestra)  
Fight! Iczer-One!

Shin Mazinger Z

Mai-Hime  
Originals

**SEASON 2 - To Reclaim What Was Lost**  
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack  
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny  
Dancougar : F  
Dancougar Nova : F  
Gravion Zwei : F  
Kishin Hisho Demonbane (sequel visual novel to the original)  
King of Braves GaoGaiGar FINAL  
Neon Genesis Evangelion: End of Evangelion  
Mobile Suit Gundam 00- Second Season + Awakening of the Trailblazer  
Mahou Shojo Lyrica Nanoha Strikers (Force elements)  
Burst Angel  
Vandread (First Stage and Second Stage)  
Heroic Age

Shin Mazinger Z

IGPX TV

Zoids New Century Zero  
Super Robot Taisen Z (Setsuko Ohara)  
Originals

That's it for the series list. Hopefully, you'll have as much fun reading this then I have writing it.

NOTE: I have no planned upload schedule. At all.


	2. Chapter 1

Episode 01-

The Contract

Arkham; a city in which the strong rule the weak . Black Lodge, a dark criminal syndicate rules the city with an iron fist, holding themselves above the law. Rather, they are the law. The police fear the Black Lodge. The people fear the Lodge.

Leading the organization is the Anticross, a secretive, highly privileged group of magi, people who can control the very elements. Some had likened this unique ability to that of witchcraft. They couldn't be closer to the truth. However; the major threat of the Anticross and the Black Lodge lies in their Black Lodge Robots, created by one Doctor West.

And amidst all of this; the gears of destiny move, each poised for a different path. It is which here, in this city darkened with fear and horrors beyond mortal comprehension, is where our story begins.

…...

The sounds etched across the field of battle.

The sound of metal crashing against metal.

The two gods stood across from each other. They both remained steadfast in their dedication. Each blow was heavier than the last. Each punch thrown, each blast of energy fired and each movement was thrown with weight.

The black giant stood there, taunting the other blood red giant.

The blood red giant lunged forward, it's movements almost overcome by an animal instinct. For a moment within that second, the black giant seemingly smiled across it's from it's metal face.

That was the end of the giant of the blood red.

The immense being quickly fell, into the immense blue sphere below.

"She will fall to that city. That is without doubt." A dark and sinister voice ran out from the immense black god.

"Yes, my master." Another voice replied, a voice that seemed to encompass many outcomes.

"And so, destiny repeats itself."

…...

Arkham City;

9:00 AM

Saturday

"And so, I carefully examined the evidence. The culprit was clearly someone I knew. How else would they have been able to access my account? With that in mind, I discovered something."

"Let me guess, Mr. Daijuuji. It was your empty bank account." The blonde haired women stared at the brown haired young man.

"That's right, Sister. It was empty."

"Oh, geez. What am I going to do with you?" Sister Leica sighed as she quickly scooped the money lying on the table with a large grin crossing her face. "Kurou, I'll be needing more this weekend."

"Oh, what's this?" Kurou Daijuuji felt his mind slowly fall down into the depths of despair. "Oh yes, this. I'm hearing my own theme song. Is it really over already? That's it. I've never met a fair woman, I've never had decent food, I've never a decent job. Here it all ends."

"Who are you talking to, Kurou? Nobody's here except for us." The blonde women let loose a sigh of disbelief.

"Forget about it, Sister." Kurou sighed. "I'll be going." Kurou slowly stood and pushed his chair in and was just about when Leica yelled towards him.

"Don't forget to look for another job!"

…...

Daijuuji Detective Office;

Arkham City;

12: 00 PM

Saturday

"Ah, yes. This is the Daijuuji Detective Office. Um, no. Mr. Daijuuji isn't in the moment. Can I take a message?" The young man grasped the nearby table for a pencil and paper. Lady Luck was not on his side this day. With a flick of his the young man's fingers, a sudden swell in the air.

The sudden swelling of air was immediately dispelled as the old wooden door slammed open. The young man froze in place. His eyes widened and his throat dried, all within an instant.

"Yo, Aika! Grab me a drink, okay?"

The familiar desperate voice rang throughout the room. The sudden smell of warm soup wafted into the young man's nose. The splintering sound of broken wood filled his eardrums. The young man's senses were on high alert. A single mistake could mean the end of his career.

"Mr. Daijuuji," The young man slowly took his glowing palm and put it behind his back, "There's a phone call for you. They say it's important. Someone called Hadi…Hadori. Oh! That's it! Hadou Ruri!"

"Hadou?" Kurou Daijuuji poked his head around the corner, still unbuttoning his black cloak. "As in THAT Hadou? Hadou Financial Group?"

"I think." Aika sighed. "There's only one Hadou in Arkham City, Mr. Daijuuji. Oh, Miss Crusade called. Said something about a tab."

Kurou felt a sinister grin encroach across his face. "Yeah, yeah. Tell her get back to her. But that's beside the point!" Kurou pondered the thought for a moment. "This is the Hadou Financial Group! THE Hadou Financial Group! If they're looking for a lonely detective like me, yeah…no."

Aika opened his available hand and brought across Kurou's face. "Do you even pay attention? They're willing to pay YOU. The man on the phone said something about looking for a Grimoire."

"If that's it, I'll look."

"Thank you, Mr. Daijuuji." Aika let loose a sigh of relief as the air finally subsided in his right palm. "I'll be going now. I have to go tell my sister the good news."

"The good news?" Kurou raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I haven't told you yet. Well, you see, today will most likely be my last day in Arkham City."

"Last day?"

"That's right. My application came back the other day. They accepted it. I've finally done it. Next week, I'll no longer be Kazuma "Aika" Resolute. I'll be Ensign Resolute, onboard the Earth Federation battleship, Ra Cailum captained by One Bright Noah and the Mobile Suit Task Force led the White Devil himself, Amuro Ray."

"Good for you?" Kurou sighed as he laid back on the torn couch.

"What? I thought you would be happy for me considering I've always been here, getting in the way. I thought you'd be glad to have me gone."

"Not my idea in the first place. Ask Sister Lecia."

"I guess it was her doing after all." Aika let loose a sigh. "Oh well. Been fun, Kurou. You were, how you say, a lovable idiot?"

"Thanks?" Kurou closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"I'll be going now, so yeah, sayonara." Aika looked one final time at the room he'd spent a year working in. It was bare bones but it had somewhat of a charm that he couldn't see himself replacing. Somewhere deep in his heart, Aika knew he would miss this place.

...

*EYECATCH*

...

Arkham City Airport;

Sunday;

1: 00 PM

"Now boarding for Kennedy Space Center, now boarding for Florida's Kennedy Space Center." The intercom rang out .

Arkham City's very small airport was laid out in such a manner that would make the average flight passenger sick before they even managed to reach the plane. However; Kazuma Resolute was anything from ordinary.

"Spending a year working Daijuuji sure paid off." Aika softly muttered underneath his breath. A moment ago, he had been fine. Now, air sickness had struck him harder then he had ever imagined. Aika held his bag in front of him tightly. "God damn it." He felt his stomach heave.

"Attention, passengers. If you look outside of your windows, we are currently experiencing a mana resistance effect. To put it in layman's terms, you can see the physical mana as the density of the concentration is so high." The intercom went on but people had already begun to disrupt it.

"Hey, did you see that?!" The passenger in front of Aika looked out her window. "It was all black and almost entire pitch black. It wasn't the mana, that's for sure." She spoke her mind very frantically, almost as if she had seen a ghost.

"Attention passengers," The intercom began again but didn't continue. "What the hell is that?!" The voice rang out of the pilot's cabin. "What the hell!" A scream. No, it wasn't a scream. It sounded almost…demonic.

Aika tensed up. He wanted to move but his muscles froze. His mind was still there but his muscles refused to obey any command.

A screech. No, more like claws of a cat.

Then it happened.

The entire left side of the plane, opposite of where Aika was sitting, was torn open. Black tendrils quickly entered through the newly made hole. They slithered, almost like snakes. When they reached the passengers, they quickly split, wrapped themselves around them and forcefully dragged them out of the hole.

Some of them weren't so lucky.

Aika felt his stomach heave. This was wrong. He wanted to scream but his body wouldn't listen. It was as if he was living a nightmare. He closed his eyes. He could still hear the screams of the people being dragged.

"Oh god. I don't want to die. This is just too wrong. I don't want to die!" His mind raced as if trying to find a solution to this horror he had found himself in. What did he do wrong?

"Hey, human."

A voice. Aika opened his eyes. He was the only left in the entire plane. If that was true, it was going to crash. But where had the voice come from? Aika looked around but it was true. He was the only one left.

"HEY, HUMAN!"

The voice rang out again. This time, even louder. Clearer too. It wasn't a human voice. It was a growl like that of a lion.

"Do you want to live? Do you want to survive this horrific ordeal? If you do, answer me!"

"I…I do." Aika softly muttered, swallowing his own spit down his throat.

"I don't know what the hell's going on. I don't what the hell I did. One thing's for sure, there's so much more I want to do!" He screamed at the top of his lungs to the point his throat was dry. "I just want to survive!"

"Then let that be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, human. Oh, I don't even know your name."

"Aika."

"No, not that one. Your soul name. The name of your soul, damn it!"

"That…" Who the hell was this talking to him like this? Whoever the hell it was, it was way different from Kurou's treatment of him.

"My name is Kazuma Resolute. That's what you wanted to know, right?"

"Yep! And with that, Registration Complete! Nice to meet you, Kazuma! I'm looking forward to our prosperous relationship!"

EPISODE 01:

END.


	3. Chapter 2

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've changed some of the series included as I could not figure out a way to make them work. The series replaced are: The IGPX miniseries, Zeta and ZZ Gundam. I will not be stating which series will be replacing them. Some of them are…unorthodox. Some may, or may not, be appearing in the first act now. Please bear with me.

"20 years ago, Project Hyperion started a war. It was a project that was intended to combat the gigantic life forms known as 'Angels.' It was made to be a weapon that could be humanity's sword to cut down a god. However; the Angels kept destroying city after city until over seventy five of the Earth's total population was wiped out. The Angels, mysterious life forms hell bent on the destruction of humanity."

"15 years ago; The Hyperion Project was shut down. All data, evidence and materials were to be scrapped, destroyed or otherwise made unattainable. The sole product made from the research was to be destroyed. It went missing from the office shortly after the Project was scrapped."

"That very same year; December. Second Impact occurred. Nothing much is known about the first category nine disaster in human history except for the fact that it only effected the planet's surface and caused massive damage on a scale never again replicated. The planet was devastated, utterly vulnerable to whatever demonic things were about to occur."

"5 years ago; The Londo Bell Special Operations Divison is established."

"10 hours ago; the recon satellite orbiting Mars, Prometheus 01, is lost."

Episode 02:

Underneath the Cover of Night

Amuro Ray manoeuvred the Jegan mobile suit to position slightly over the ruins of the former location of the UN satellite, Prometheus 01.

"This is Amuro. I'm at the position the satellite should be at. I'm not getting anything on my radar or visual sensors. It's as if it vanished all together."

"Are you absolutely sure? You don't seem too convinced about it. Anyway; I guess you might as well come back to base. I need to run some diagnosis tics on the psycho-frame." Chan Agni spoke with a calm demeanour as she normally did. Her virtual face clashed with pale black emptiness that stretched beyond the Mobile Suit's view screen.

Amuro ray bit his lip. Despite being an ace in the Federation's Special Operations Unit, Londo Bell, he had his own fair share of problems. "It wasn't Char. It's just a feeling I have. Have Command relay a message for me to the CBF; Tell them that we might have a situation on our hands. We might need their help again."

Chan shook her head. "Really? Again? You know how those guys down at the brass feel about asking them for help. Despite being military, they operate outside the law. It's like asking bank robbers to help you guard the very bank they once stole from."

"Sometimes you have to take risks, Chan." Amuro, of course, was referring to prior experiences working with the CBF, or Cyber Beast Force, as they called themselves. They were a bold and rash bunch of individuals with machines that rivalled those of even the best mobile suits. At the same time, they were also a bunch of 'troublemakers,' according to the head offices.

"I guess you have a point." There was a click and Chan's face disappeared from Amuro's view, leaving him all alone in the vastness of space. The familiar view etched for miles upon miles. Occasionally, one would spot the site of a battle that took place or even an asteroid. For Amuro, the sense of black space etched before him was much like a home to the pilot.

Kurou Daijuuji had just gotten off of a typical 'catch a cat' case when he had bumped into the strange man on the street.

"Must be a foreigner." Kurou thought as he noted the man's causal blue sweater, jeans and his name tag on the left cheek of the shirt. "Ryoji Kaji? Yep. Totally a foreigner." Kurou chimed as he walked down the street he always took him.

Gunfire echoed in the distance, followed by the loud crashing noise of buildings being crushed underneath the weight of something large. The sound of gunfire wasn't too uncommon for the likes of Arkham City. "After all, the city is run by a crime organization." Kurou said out loud, only to look around to see if anyone heard him.

As Kurou wandered along the darkened streets, he found himself flashing back to the case that had been proposed on the day his former apprentice, Aika, had left. "The Hadou Group, huh. I guess I could look for the goods they wanted. What was it now? Grimalkin? Nah. Too cat-like. Grim Reaper's Scythe? Nah. Too typical." Kurou stopped mid-step and moved his eyes on reflex to the right side of the road. "Grimoire."

He noted the slightly rough building on the side of the road. "Better take a look-see, shall we."

The inside of the ruined building was a lot darker and slight shadier than the exterior had led Kurou to believe. The sight of a spider crawling down the nearby bookshelf jolted Kurou out of his trance-like state.

His eye's slowly moved up from where the spider had been lurking. It was greeted by a pair of bright red eyes. He felt his eyes drown to the more obvious part of this extending figure.

The woman was dressed in almost completely black. The only part of her not covered in any sort of dark color, or black for that matter, was her red eyes. Kurou felt as if there was something lurking with those eyes but refused to say anything.

"I'd like to inquire about obtaining a…Grimoire." Kurou asked, as he bowed his body before the woman. Facing towards the ground, Kurou had to fight the urge to comment about the woman's awkward dress code.

The woman cracked a smile. "You can't buy Grimoires, silly man. They come to you. They aren't something you can just pick up off the street."

Aika found himself on a beach. The odd sensation that had been with him a few days ago had vanished. Rather than completely vanish, it had found itself in the new form of Aika's 'partner.' He moved his eyes towards it.

Rather than flesh and bone, it was silvery metal and gears. It was heavy, judging from the wedge in the sand alone. Considering what he had witnessed on the flight to Kennedy, Aika couldn't help but laugh at his situation. He thought back to the incident. His mind however did not seem to remember anything past the metal doors of the plane being torn open.

He felt himself sighed at the thought. "Forced amnesia? I really have no clue at this point." A sudden jolt of electrical current forced Aika back to reality. "Damn it."

His 'partner' was up. It was a bipedal creature but in reality, it was a quadruped. Two sets of legs underneath the body folded into one another, giving the illusion of a bipedal creature. Two large barrels settled along each side, connected by a series of long and elaborate track systems. In addition to those four large cannons, it had claws that pierced incredibly deep sand and could easily make an underground tunnel system if the owner wanted to.

"Hey…."

"Kazu, are you sure you're okay? You said that yesterday. Besides," the creature pointed one of it's claws towards Aika's right arm, "It hasn't fully recovered yet, has it? Come on. We're partners now. You don't have to hide anything."

"Chroma, I…" Chroma was the name Aika had given his partner. It was, at first glance, based on the golden claws it wielded out front but in reality, it was combined from the letters and numbers of his former plane.

"Considering the location and situation we're in, I highly recommend we take action. I can only zoom in so far but from what I understand, there does appear to be a group of buildings farther inland. Who knows? Maybe we could find some help from your wound, assuming they are people there."

Aika smiled. "Perhaps, this might work out for the best of both of us after all."

"Grimoires don't come to you." Kurou muttered underneath as he kicked the bottle down the night street. "Give me a break. It's just a damn book."

He felt that if he had sped up the pace, he might end up home quicker but in reality, all that it had done was bring him to a section of the city from which he was unfamiliar with. To make matters worse, had overheard two police officers say something about the Black Lodge having an incredibly strong influence in the area.

"Maybe if I take the alle-"

"Ah-Hem! May I have your attention, please? I demand your attention, for it is I, the Great DOCTA WEST, who will apprehend the Grimoire. Now, if you will please, hand it over please."

"Don't forget about me, ~Robo!~"

Kurou stood there, shocked. He felt as if his jaw had hit the ground and wouldn't pick up.

"IT'S NOT LIKE MY NIGHT COULD GET ANY WORSE!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, rasping his supply of air in the process.

"Wait!"

A sudden gale of wind swept between Kurou and the self-proclaimed "Great" Doctor West, blowing the wanted posters, garbage bags and other assorted alley way goodies out of the place they called home.

"Black Lodge!

An organization that has threatened the fair citizens of this city,

People have been living in fear, day in and day out, for far too long,

But a passionate maiden concealing a fighting spirit within her heart, makes her appearance! Bravely standing up to the threat, her name is….."

"Oh dear god," Kurou muttered as he felt his hands connect with his face, "I had to jinx it."

"Sugiura Midori!"

EPISODE 02

-Underneath the Cover of Night-

END


	4. Chapter 03: Chroma

Episode 03:

Chroma

Aika stretched his arms as he made his way through the woods. Making sure to not make any such sudden movements as to what would injure his already-broken harm even more, he made his way through the angry swarm of branches that littered the worn-out path. The wind blew into the trees and echoed.

"I mean, come on. You honestly expect me to believe that was some sort of illusion? If it was just an illusion, explain to me how it caused physical damage."

"There are some kinds of illusions that can cause physical damage. It's a type of magic." Chroma stopped and scratched what appeared to be an ear.

"Right." Aika rolled his eyes. "Let's just see if there's anyone who can help us out here. I can't walk with a broken arm. It'll just get in the way." Aika felt as if he was being watched but he didn't say anything. Given a choice between speaking out or staying calm, Aika would choose the later. It fit him. Despite his outgoing nature, Aika was actually quite conservative in his aptness to speak out.

Aika and Chroma had been walking for hours before they stumbled onto any sort of civilization. What they found in place of what they expected was a round circular building. Surrounding the building were very assortments of odd and exotic plants. They were exotic to Aika, at least. Chroma didn't seem fazed by the plants as it continued walking towards the circular building.

Just as Aika had finally noticed his partner ahead of him, a sudden scream shook the air. The air became cold as ice began to rain down upon Aika and Chroma. Chroma readied itself, raising the two large cannons on it's back into firing position. Aika's eyes widened at the sight before him.

Where the duo had exited the woodland from was now covered in a thick sheet of ice. Aika's body shivered as a four-legged wolf emerged from the forest. It's shape was similar to Chroma's in appearance but the metal surrounding the machination's body but it was just that: Solid, cold metal.

Chroma's cannons loaded themselves as the grinding of gears rang in Aika's ear. Noting his partner's intense stance, fangs and claws bared, Aika readied himself. The thought of having no means of defense ran through Aika's young naive head.

"Duran!"

The 'ice-wolf' loaded it's own cannons. Chroma took this as a sign of weakness. It began to run faster than any living creature Aika had witnessed. What it lacked in power, it made up in absolute speed. The rear legs deployed, it ignited in a pale blue fire. It's entire body was engulfed in blue flame as it dashed toward it's enemy.

Aika tried to make his eyes follow his partner's drastic movements but his eyes could not keep as the two wolf-like creatures furiously launched their own drastic assaults on one another.

"Don't move."

Aika's hairs stood up on end as he felt a pinch on his back. It was tight and felt as if his skin had got pinched between one of his binders at Mr. Daijuuji's house.

"I told you: Don't move."

The voice was stronger than before, as if it was right behind him. It was a feminine voice but at the same time, it was cold, shrill and almost demonic. It was a voice that didn't trust anyone but it's owner. Aika raised his hands slowly as something moved clockwise in his back.

"Good boy," The voice whispered, "Now, answer my questions or otherwise…."

The opposing wolf once again loaded it's own cannons. This time, it was done in such a slow, drawn out transition. It was taunting Aika. 'Make a move,' it whispered. Aika bit his lip. He was done. Whatever reason the strange wolf and it's master wanted was none of his business.

"What is that creature? Are you with the Searrs Foundation? What's your objective? Answer me!""

"Chroma…" Aika whispered underneath his breath, focusing his remaining his energy into arms. "I may be a complete novice but I've been practicing!" He felt his feet move on reflex. He quickly twisted his body and twisted so that a punch would connect with his assailant. He had little choice in the matter. Rather than wait for the end, he had to react.

"Fire!" Aika felt his hands ignite as he heard the explosion of gunfire erupted his ears. His fist missed it's target by a inch but judging by the sound of the explosion of Chroma's cannons, it had hit it's target. Aika's back was pelted by what seemed to be a butt of a pistol. His stomach heaved as he landed, back facing towards the sky. Vision blurred and with no energy left, Aika felt his body go into the darkness.

* * *

Aika ran. He ran and ran, as fast as his legs could carry him. It was no use. The black tentacles slowly wrapped themselves around Aika's legs. He frantically tried to escape. He tried blasting the tentacles with fire, he tried pounding on them with his fists but whatever he did had no effect.

It was just when hope had seemed lost, Aika spotted a glimmer of light outside of the corner of his eye. He wanted to scream for help but he couldn't. It was as if his voice had left him.

The tentacles roared as the light drew closer and closer. It wasn't until the creature lashed out towards the light that Aika noticed what it truly was. It was faint but Aika knew what it was in an instant.

"Chroma!" He yelled; feeling the tentacles let go of his legs. The light seemingly looked towards him.

_Release the limiters. _

Aika held steadfast in his resolve. He couldn't run. He wouldn't run. If he ran now, would everything he studied for be for naught? Aika wouldn't let that happen.

"Chroma! Release limiters one through seven! Load caliber-types one through nineteen! Mode: Gamma!" Aika roared, his voice pulsing a brand new kind of confidence. He wouldn't give up so easily. If this was anyone but Chroma by his side, he could have, and would have, ran. Something struck him about Chroma. It was a feeling he had never felt before. It was even brighter than the fire he held in his hands.

'_The Calibre Shot.' You have to use it. Aika, you can't run from this. It's your destiny._

Aika clenched his fists as he stared at his partner. "No matter what happens, I won't lose. I can't lose. Not after I left my job, not after I lost my place at the Londo Bell, not now. I can't possibly lose."

"_Initiating Calibre Shot sequences. Loading Caliber-type shells. Gamma Radiators at full power. Exhaust port functioning at nominal range. Rerouting all circuits to full. Firing in 3...2...1."_

The twin cannons fired two large shots in unison, which were quickly followed by at least several dozen further bombardments in rapid succession. Aika grinned as he stared at his partner's shoulder cannons.

"That's some ridiculous amounts of fire power packed in the tiny little body. You've got to wonder how something so small can pack so much firepower."

* * *

Aika awoke as a short jolt of electricity zapped him back into reality and a conscious state. He moved his eyes slowly across the room. No longer outside, he simply sighed. Tossing over the covers of the bed, he slipped on a nearby set of sneakers.

"I mean, it could be worse, right?" He muttered as he slowly turned around, only to see the barrel of a round, narrow and empty cylinder pointed down his eyes. Aika's eyes themselves were slowly moving alongside the sides of the cylinder until they rested upon a pair of startling green eyes.

"Talk."

It was the same voice that had ordered him to speak only the night prior. It was a girl after all, the thoughts ran through his head.

"You've got to be kidding me."

The girl dropped the twin pistols. She bit her lip. "So, you really don't know anything? That rules you out as being a member of the Foundation. Just leave. Don't come back to this island. It's dangerous."

Just as the girl turned around to leave, Aika felt a tug at his leg. Slowly turning his eyes towards the window, soon followed by the girl doing the same, he noticed the pitch black line etching across the window sill. It was terrifyingly small but Aika knew better than to judge a book by it's cover. The girl raised her pistols again and aimed them at Aika.

"Do not move. No matter what you do, do NOT move."

Aika's body screamed as the grip on his leg began to tighten. It was Aika's right leg that to give. It cracked and slowly tore apart the very tendons that held it together. The pain instantly shot up. He wanted to run. He wanted to scream. The girl standing across the room, with the dark blue hair, was even shocked at the sight of Aika.

"No, this isn't right. This isn't an Orphan. It's something else!"

The girl pulled the triggers as the black line rescinded beneath the window sill. Surely enough, a large black hand scratched up against the window moments later. Beady eyes slowly opened and closes on the hand. The sounds made by the creature made Aika's head scream.

"Chroma! Chroma! Chroma!"

No response. Aika felt his bones again began to break underneath the immense weight of the creature. It wasn't until the bone had finally given way that Aika lost it. His entire body roared up in an instant. His hands became ignited with flame which soon overwhelmed his entire body. It roared with no heat emanating from it.

"Chroma! Chroma! Chroma!"

One sudden crash.

One sudden sound of tearing flesh.

The girl standing there stood stunned, unable to move. "This isn't an Orphan." She poised her pistols in front of her. "Duran!"

A pair of red eyes suddenly illuminated the room as the mechanical dog appeared once again. The window slowly began to crack as the red eyes grew brighter.

It spoke with a computerized voice. It was rasp and rather dry. Despite that, Aika knew very well who, or what, the eyes belonged to. _"PiLOt REgiStRatIoN ConFirmAtion: KaZuMa ReSoLuTE"_

"Chroma…" Aika slowly outstretched his hands towards the strange red light. He felt as if it was calling him. An all too familiar flame outstretched before his hand.

With little choice in the matter, Aika lunged forward. Pushing strength in his functioning leg, he pushed forward just enough that his hand connected with the bright golden surface where the window had only just stood. As if answering him, the golden surface slowly peeled away, revealing what appeared to be the inner workings of a cockpit.

"What the hell's going on here? Answer me!" The blue haired girl once again ordered her mechanical companion to fire on the golden machine. The wolf would not get a chance as a pale blue fire flame erupted from the sides of the golden figure, enveloping the entire machine. It quickly disappeared into the distant sky.

"That same fire, is that it?" The girl's eyes widened. "There's no way that could be the unit from that project…"

The mechanical wolf looked up at it's shocked owner, as if awaiting a command. The Master of the relationship was too struck by sheer wonder to answer it.

"There's no way that could be that machine. The Hyperion Project's Special Unit, SRM-000, Chroma." The girl's phone was ringing. Why hadn't she noticed it earlier? Of course, one would assume it was because of the loud noise that had just only left.

"Hello, hello." The girl answered, her eyes still wide. The amazement of what she had just witnessed had left. It had was replaced with a sense of despair of the newly formed windowless room.

"I'm going to assume the blue flame in the sky means that that unit is back? You couldn't take care of one simple task, Miss Kuga."

"Shut up. I don't take orders from you." The girl bit her lip. There was no choice. She had to risk it. "It wasn't my fault. I had unexpected…problems."

"The unit's been retrieved and activated, you lost your fight last night and now you mention unexpected problems? I expected more from you, Natsuki Kuga." The voice on the other end of line was calm. It didn't waver in it's conviction. "Truth be told, I expected you to die. Thankfully, that didn't happen. It's an interesting situation. The unit your mother worked on has been reactivated, the very enemies it was made to destroy reawakened, all the while you've been chosen as a HiME? Coincidence? I wouldn't bet on it."

Natsuki Kuuga bit her lip. "What do you know? Tell me, Tanaka. You have to know something." Natuski's patience was growing thin of being toyed with. Her trust in this so called 'organization of justice' was growing thin especially.

"I'd assume the best course of action would be to come to the wonderful island paradise of Dragon Fang Island to see for yourself." Tanaka laughed. Despite being over the phone, his laughs were very individual and recognizable.

"Oh, I'll be sure to come visit." Natsuki stared out into the night sky. "You better have the greeting party ready. I'll be bringing a friend. A very fiery friend."


	5. Chapter 04: Life-Saver

_NOTE: The first 'true' introduction to the story. Despite this story progressing very slowly, we all getting to the actual plot this chapter. Oh, and the introduction of Saver Guardian, totally-not-inspired-by-Saber-Varion-from Brave-Saga-2. Nope, in no way, shape or form is it inspired by Saber Varion._

_FINAL CHANGES TO CAST LIST VIEWABLE IN PROLOGUE!  
_

**Episode 04:**

**Life-Saver**

"Back then, we thought we understood them. The so called 'Angels' were in reality, our own devils. We fought and we fought until we could fight no longer. As we were about be destroyed, 'it' intervened. A being of great elegance and yet absolute terrifying presence. It's name was Hyperion and its mission was to protect the Earth, no matter the cost."

"You expect me to believe that pile of junk? That's an old story designed to scare little kids." Natsuki sat alone on the line of chairs outstretching the far corner of the wall. "If you really expect me to believe it, show me proof."

Tanaka cheerfully smiled. "Ah. You see, Ms Kuga, I don't need to show you proof. You have already seen it." Tanaka clicked a button underneath his desk and an image flashed upon the large flat screen monitor behind him. "This is that so called 'Hyperion' spoke of in those fairy tales."

Natsuki's eyes darted between the monitor and the man sitting in front of the screen. "That machine..is Hyperion?" She refused to believe it. Her eyes had to be to be deceiving her. "You're telling me that kid has something to do with this after all?"

"Correct. That boy, if you would call him that, is a priority target. Kazuma Resolute. His friends and family call him Aika. It seems that unit has taken a liking to him. I guess you could say he was chosen."

Just as Natsuki was about to speak, the door slid opened. Inside walked an almost rag-tag group of individuals. Some wore military jackets while others wore some sort of 'suit,' if first glances were anything to go by.

"Hey, Tanaka!" The leader of what appeared to the military group stepped forward and threw a series of bonded papers towards the man. The throw was sharp and precise. "Mission reports. Now, if you'll excuse us…" He motioned towards the pink haired member of the 'suits' over, "Aoi and I are going out back to practice."

"Fujiwara," Tanaka stood up in surprising fashion, "This young woman here is Natsuki Kuga. She'll be accompanying your team on your next assignment. She also brought someone else who very much will be capable of assisting you."

"How did you -" Natsuki's eyes widened at the sight of a grin crossing Tanaka's face. "I never said anything about that!"

Tanaka simply pointed upwards as a small camera poked itself through the lighting pot. "We take careful preparations."

"So, you're Miss Kuga." The blue haired member of the suits spoke up, her voice soft and almost motherly. "I read up on you when I worked over at the DEA. Pretty sad story. They never found out who did it, did they?"

Natsuki bit her lip at the girl's intrusion. "When are we going on this mission? It was never in my plans to assist anyone but I'll bite."

"Shinobu, shouldn't we introduce ourselves?" It was the boy of the military group that spoke up this time. He was the youngest of the militaries upon first inspection. "I mean, if we're going to be working together, wouldn't it be easier to know who each is?"

"I guess that would that would be the smartest move. My name is Sara Yuki." The light red haired member of the military group stepped forward and reached out her hand towards Natsuki. "That's Masato Shikibu." She nodded towards the boy who had just spoken up.

"The big guy back there's Ryo Shiba. My name's Shinobu Fujiwara. We're the Cyber Beast Force, CBF for short. It's a pleasure."

"Gee, you're so up front, Shinobu.." The pink haired girl of the suits stepped forward. "The name's Hidaka. Aoi Hidaka. This here's Johnny Burnette, Sakuya Kamon and Kurara Tachibana. We're Team D."

"Okay, okay. Now that's all done and settled with," Tanaka slowly coughed under his breath, "The mission is as follows: Apprehend Hyperion. If not possible, destroy it. Leave nothing left of it. Is all of that clear? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of."

Tanka turned his back and left the room, a pleasantly crooked smile crossing his face.

* * *

"We've got five minutes on the clock. Shinobu, do you mind supporting us?" Aoi called over, forcing her fighter, the Nova Eagle, into the forest. "Natsuki, you take the ground with Duran. We're going to find this thing and capture it."

Just as Aoi finished speaking, the golden flesh of a monstrous beast emerged from the forested area. In one hand, it wielded a closed metal hand. The other hand wielded a blade made of emitted plasma. The machine's golden body sent off a large, almost ethereal glow.

"That's it? That thing's huge! The actually expect us to fight that thing?"

As Aoi muttered and looked forward, stunned, the rest of Team D and the CBF took advantage of the situation. The Nova Elephant, the Land Liger and the Land Cougar, all launched their own attacks upon the golden giant. Missiles and 40mm rounds scattered amongst the giant's armor as if mere flies. Natsuki ordered Duran to launch a pincher tactic with herself positioned on the left. The Nova Eagle and Eagle Fighter charged, their own vulcans blazing up and down the beast's shell.

"Nothing's working. It's as if this armor's impenetrable! Do we have to use that?" Johnny's voice came over the com. "I recall that the only alloy in existence that can deflect attacks in Lunar Titanium mixed with Phase Shift tech. This doesn't look like any of that though. I…I don't know what it is."

"Fine!" Aoi's voice returned Johnny's own frantic voice. "We're going with that, everyone! Keep your eyes on the clock! Super Beast Divine Combination!"

Responding to Aoi's voice, Team D's units, the Nova Beasts, began combination protocol. Kurara and Sakuya's units, the Nova Liger and the Nova Rhino, connected with Johnny's unit, the Nova Elephant. Aoi's unit, the Nova Eagle, docked on top of it as well. A loud click and two large metallic hands emerged from the empty slots on the arms. The Eagle's face pulled up, revealing a face fully capable of human emotion.

**"Dancougar Nova!"**

Shinobu followed Aoi's lead, ordering his own team's combination. Although the combination was similar, the Big Mammoth was the key portion. Everything attached to it as if it had just put on shoes, gloves and a hat. Large cannons hunkered over the back and locked into place, forcing the unit to ground.

Designed as a specific anti-alien weapon, the CBF Dancougar for the most part was a ground based unit. While it was capable of limited flight, it wasn't worth the risk given the heavy gravity of planet Earth. The machine hunkered down and brought the cannons that littered its torso forward. It fired.

Blasts of pink, red and orange scathed the monster's shell. The beast howled as it was left fallen victim to the Dancougar's Dancou-Cannon Formation attack. Nova followed suit with its own. The hands retracted back into the large metallic palms and were swiftly by a pair of large cylindrical guns, in addition to the large cannon it also had mounted on its back.

The beast wreathed again. This time however, it turned its attention to the two Dancougars, unaware of Natsuki's presence. A large green sphere appeared between its razor-claw-equipped hands. It pushed the sphere forward with the very same hands that created as if it were a volley ball.

The green sphere landed directly between the two Dancougars. Slowly, the green forestry disappeared as the earth around the sphere began to crumble. As it did, the green sphere grew larger, and larger. The beast, with its razor-claws, turned around once again and brought its large tail –what appeared to be a large tail at least- downward. It racked the Dancougars, forcing Aoi downward.

"There's no end to this guy. What else does he have? Hey, Shinobu." Aoi eyed the green sphere, "What about using that?"

"I get it!" Sakuya nodded, manipulating Nova's arms to face the sphere. "Take this! Boost! Nova! Knuckle!" Sakuya pulled the trigger in his cockpit and the arms of Dancougar Nova fired forward, grabbing the sphere in the process. The sphere roared forward on a return trip to its sender. The knuckle and sphere impacted the beast's shell.

The beast's very existence wavered in and out of existence. Natsuki ordered an attack, directly at the creature's face. Duran fired, its cartridges smoldering. The beast had been restrained, without incident.

Natsuki panted as she came running across the field. She sent her guns away and hopped onto Duran as the mechanical four legged creature came across her. "Good job," She muttered as she gazed at the ruins of the mechanical giant.

* * *

Aika awoke to the throbbing of his head. It pounded as if he had just had fierce nightmare. Looking down, he noticed his shirt had become drenched with sweat. "

"What the hell? I was just…"

"Ahh, yes. About that, we left you as you were." A strange man entered Aika's room. His skin was slightly tanned and he wore a pair of red glasses, at least Aika thought they were glasses, over his eyes. "My name is Tanaka. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kazuma Resolute. We have much to discuss over your current situation."

Aika stared at the strange man. Who was he? "Let me ask you one thing; How do you know about me? I don't recall ever meeting you."

Tanaka grinned. "I know everything about you. It is my job after all. I understand that you have a large amount of questions. Please wait until you meet the team." The man motioned Aika threw the door.

"Something stinks here." Aika bit his lip, "I don't like it."

* * *

Aika felt himself walking down the large empty hallways alone. It was brightly lit but that didn't change the fact that he was alone. "Geez, that guy. He shows up, tells me to this command center and then ups and disappears. How the hell did I wind up here anyway? Where is here?"

Aika was in such a deep trance, staring at the ground as he walked, he didn't need the person exiting one of the multitude of doorways in front of him. The two people crashed, Aika falling face forward.

Opening his eyes, Aika met with the person's eyes directly. He moved his hand before a shriek louder than anything he ever heard scratched his ears. He felt a hand collide directly with his face.

"Don't touch me!" The person shrieked again, forcing themselves up and knocking Aika over in the process. Aika looked up. The person who he had crashed into looked at him with disgust as 'she' titled her glasses upwards. "Watch where you're going, kid. Wait a minute…" The woman looked at Aika, examining him. "It's you!" She pointed at him with her free hand! "Oh-my-god! It's you! You're the kid they found in the Hyperion! Oh my god!"

The woman took a deep breath. "My name is Kryska. I'm an intelligence officer for a certain organization. I'm assuming Tanaka asked you to come to the Command Room before vanishing? Don't worry about that. I was going there to submit a report anyway. You can tag along. Tell me though; what was like? Do you remember anything?"

Aika felt himself growing tired again, just being talked to by this strange woman. "I don't remember anything. Aside from seeing that golden giant, everything is just a blank."

"I see." Kryska muttered, "That is interesting. I have a theory that involves that actually. Mental-stress relief, actually. You purposely don't want to remember so you've locked it away. Say, how would you like to help me with a project? It's involving that golden giant of yours. Chroma, I think."

"It's not like I have a choice, do I?"

"Not really. It would be a lot safer than joining, say TAX, the EFA or even the Hadou Financial Group." Kryska shrugged her shoulders. "I'm working on a project that combines the EFA's Mobile Suit tech, the combinable aspects of Dragon Fang's Dancougars and an AI system."

"So you're stealing ideas from other people. Gotcha." Aika chuckled. "In all seriousness, I'll give it a go."

"You will? Thank you! The AI on board the unit should be familiar to you."

* * *

"Aika!"

"Yep." Kryska nodded, "It's your friend. I manage to scavenge the artificial intelligence system from the golden giant. It had your friend on board. Apparently, it was going berserk because of the transformation's stress on the main system's. I've placed limiters on board this one so that won't happen until you two can work together fully."

"Kryska, was it? Why do this? You don't even know me." Aika shuffled around the cockpit of the main component, a large fighter jet.

"It's just what I do. I was raised with the belief of helping people, even if I don't know them." Kryska loaded the machine onto the catapult deck. "The unit's name is Gaia, by the way. It's named after another term for Earth. The other unit, " Kryska pointed to the secondary unit, a large water-based craft, "is the Saver module. GUARDIAN module, if you want to get into the technicalities." she poised her glasses upward once again, as she moved her hand down her scarlet red hair.

"Okay. Let's see. The two can dock into two forms?" Aika flipped through the manual inside the cockpit, until he found the unit names. 'What the hell is this? Saver Guardian? Eruption Saber? Chest Blazer? Mazer Blaster? Holy hell! Even Trinity Impact? The hell are these names from?" Aika couldn't believe it. "This naming scheme is like something out of a children's comic!"

Kryska smirked at the mention of a children's comic. "That's because this is no mere robot!" She clicked her glasses again, "That is because this is…a SUPER ROBOT!"

"Oh dear lord." Aika slouched back into his seat. "What have I gotten myself into?" He couldn't believe it. "I have only one thing to say: Nerd."

"Oh, yeah. One last thing! About the controls….they're voice activated!" Kryska yelled over the loud grinding off the catapult's movement, "Just be sure to yell as loud as you can like in Super Robot anime! You have to make it authentic!"

* * *

The small platoon of various AI controlled Hizacks and Jegans marched forward, their rifles and beam sabers pointed toward's Aika's duo of units.

"Let's see. How do I do this again? Let's try this!" He pressed a button located on the front dash and shouted, "Scrambler Shot!" The large fighter jet responded by releasing a trio of small-scale missiles tipped with a needle-like object. Only one of the tree missiles, sending the target it hit tumbling downwards. "Scrambler Shot apparently damages electronics. That's good to know."

The Hizack began to fire it's rifle at the Gaia. "Crap!" Aika muttered as he manoeuvred the fighter into an aerial ascent to dodge the rifle's barrage. "Chroma, let's try the Saver Guardian configuration!"

"All systems operating normally. Releasing limiters 1 through 3. Saver Guardian configuration, all green. Give the orders." The artificial intelligence based on Chroma spoke with the same attitude as Aika's once-companion.

"Saver Guardian! Configuration!"

Responding to Aika's voices, the Saver module deployed its jump jets. The Gaia zoomed over to where the Saver module was located and connected the central clamps located underneath the main fighter. Aika's chair pulled back and moved downwards into the Saver module's own cockpit. Just as it did, the sound of clicking gears signalled the beginning of the transformation. The Gaia's nose snapped downwards so that it lay on the Saver's underbelly. Slowly, it began to prop open. The Saver module snapped out exterior modules, which soon purged themselves into arm-like components and leg components, which began to dock.

The Gaia finally concluded the transformation by sliding open a small component to reveal an almost demon-like face. Facial vents littered the monstrous head. The hands were beast like, almost as if razor sharp claws of a cat.

"This is…Saver Guardian?"

"Saver Guardian Mode Arc, to be precise." The AI spoke up once again. "It's been a while, Aika. I'm sorry I can't see you with my own eyes at the moment but for now, this will have to do. I am sincerely sorry."

"Chroma, is that you? I guess you're okay after all. I'm glad because it would feel weird otherwise, having an AI talk with your voice and all. So, how about it? You ready for this, partner?"

"Partner?" Chroma paused. "I like the sound of that. Let's go, partner."

Saver Guardian dashed forward, the rear thrusters created by Gaia igniting. Each step the monstrous machine took shook the ground and left an imprint within the earth. "Let's try…Eruption! Saber!"

The chest piece opened up, releasing the hilt of a sword. Saver Guardian's massive steel hands clutched the sword's hilt and pulled the sword out. The hilt of the sword emitted a blade made of solid pure energy. It hummed as the giant super robot dashed forward. With one the swipe of the sword of the sword, the Hizack and Jegan fell as the fuselage was slashed completely through, leaving nothing but malfunctioning circuitry.

"Aika! I'm getting a reading on the long range radar!" Kryska's voice came over the communicator. Her voice was frantic and almost scared. "I've already contacted Tanaka and asked for reinforcements but you might have to fend it off of yourself!"

"Can't this wait?" Aika responded as he stared at his hands in the cockpit. "I'm sort of tired right now."

"No! It can't! It just destroyed New Tokyo-2 and its coming here at high speeds! Oh my god! This has to be some kind of joke!"

"Kryska? You all right?" Aika slowly reached his hand out to the controls again. "What is it?"

Kryska's voice came back on. "It's…It's emitting some sort of weird particle. I can't get a clear reading. Hey, Aika. You still there? I'm getting static on my end. Hey, you there?"

The signal was cut. Aika sat stunned as he returned his attention towards his front, placing his hands on the controls once again. "Whatever it is, it ain't friendly."

"I can try and re-establish connections with the base if you want." Chroma lit up again. "I do believe the girl's prediction may have been correct. It is not emitting any friendly signals nor is it emitting an enemy signals."

"Whatever it is, it is big."

* * *

The white haired man stood alongside the young girl on the giant of darkness.

"It as is foretold. The coming end will be swift and painless for these days are the coming of a dark god."

"Yes, my master."

"Etheldreda, stay by my side until this is over."

"As you wish, my Master."


	6. Chapter 05: Rise of the Machine Gods 01

"In the beginning, life existed without meaning, without purpose and without desire. Mankind, a mere pup, slowly began to evolve itself into what they know themselves as now.

Even now, that's why they exist. Due to this sudden spark of evolution, things exist that should not exist, people have become what they shouldn't have and events that should have never transpired have occurred. The world is slowly heading to ruin. But for what reason? What reason is there for fighting a struggle against fate? Against the world? Against the laws that govern our world?

There is a reason. That reason may be something as simple as hope. Hope for a new tomorrow. I hope to see this struggle an end, brae warrior. Your existence, your fight, and most importantly, this war."

* * *

**Episode 05:**

**~Rise of the Mechanical Gods!~**

**Part 01: Demon's Bane**

"Whatever it is, it's big."

Aika felt the chaotic impact as his vision blurred. His head was sent flying backwards into the cockpit's seat. Blood rolled from his mouth into his vision. "Gragh!"

"Pilot's heart rate is reaching critical levels. Alert: Pilot's heart rate is approaching critical levels." Lights flashed as Aika struggled to get up. He clutched his controllers at his side and attempted to stare ahead. What he saw shook him to his very core.

"No…way." He muttered underneath his breath in utter disbelief. Standing before Saver Guardian was a black machine as dark as the night as itself. That wasn't what shocked Aika however.

What truly shocked him was the man standing on the machine. The man's skin was as pale as freshly fallen snow, his eyes as black as evil itself and his pose staring into Aika's very soul. Standing beside the man was young scarlet haired girl. She wore a black dress, with patches of white near the collar.

"Master…Therion, of the Black Lodge. I've heard the rumours but I didn't think he actually existed." Aika cursed his horrible luck The man standing before him had single handly, with no assistance from his mecha, knocked Saver Guardian off balance.

"Alert: High Energy output detected in enemy. Recommend evasive action immediately!"

A flash of brilliant white light splashed against Saver Guardian's body as it was once again knocked down. This time, however, it had come from the right palm of black giant.

"Aika!" Kryska's voice came over the communicator, frantic as ever. "Why aren't you running? You can't find that thing! Shinobu, Aoi and Natsuki should be on their way! Just get out of there and left them handle it! Saver's not equipped for actual combat yet!"

"Shut up!" Aika clutched his trigger's tightly. "I can at least put up a fight! If I can just hold out until help arrives…"

Aika overheard the sound of books, clipboards and other assorted materials drop onto the floor. "I'm authorizing the use of the Trinity Impact. It's highly volatile and still in the experimental testing phase but it should work. Only, and I mean only, use it as a last resort."

"Kryska…Remind me, I need to make it up to you sometime." Aika forced Saver Guardian's cold metal body up once again. Drawing the sword from the ground where it had fallen after the super robot had been knocked down, it faced its opponent. The pale man smirked.

The two giants put forth a great battle, however it was clear from the beginning who the victor was. Even though Aika countered the black giant's moves, it would always counter with another one, one that Aika was not expecting. First came the bow then the punch. What finally concluded it was not an action from the mech itself. Rather, the pale man said a single word and Saver Guardian was knocked into the ground.

"No matter what I do, I can't beat this guy." Aika rolled his tongue. All he could taste was blood. ""Its like he's reading my moves. I can't even get a hint on them."

"Aika, may I suggest trying a different tactic? Perhaps not engaging in close combat?" Chroma spoke as the view screen opened a small weapon information screen in the bottom corner. "Perhaps Chest Blazer?"

"Let's give it a try." Saver Guardian trusted backwards, trying to put distance between itself and the black giant. "Systems all green. WHS Lock, release! CRC Links, all connected! Supports, engaged! Rerouting engines! Chest Blazer, FIRE!"

It all functioned according to plan. The chest area where Saver Guardian's sword had been installed glowed a bright red orange. Slowly, it opened up. Inside was a bright, pulsing orange flame. It pulsed forward like a dragon hunting its pray. It burned through the sky. When it reached its target, however, everything came to a screeching halt.

"It vanished?" Aika was stunned. "No matter what I do, no matter I try, I can't do anything!"

"I've analyzed the data. Chest Blazer has proved ineffective due to the fact that it was frozen. The enemy possesses an ability to reduce anything to the absolute zero point."

"I grow tired of these petty games." Master Therion's voice boomed, not even coming through Aika's communicator or com systems. "Tell me, boy. Where is the one who usurps my rule? I am not interested in you. Tell me, where is the one I seek? Where is the Necronomicon?"

"Necro-what?" Aika forced his way through the weapon information screen again. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" He yelled before returning to a whisper, "Chroma, what's the exact timing for Trinity Impact to take effect?"

"Five minutes until charge is completed. I have my doubts about this but it seems that you have a plan."

"May my Liber Legis send you into the vast dark space of the void then!"

Everything came into a stand still as the black giant, the Liber Legis, plummeted a gigantic cross downwards towards Saver Guardian. It was at the moment that Aika saw something faint before he heard the scream.

"ATLANTIS….STRIKE!"

Another giant crashed itself from the clouds itself. It was black, gray and wielded assorted patches of green all over its body. Two large knee guards protruded from the giant's body. Its face was similar to Saver Guardian's except for the fact it had two green eyes, complete with pupils and no mouth.

"Kurou, watch it! We don't know if he still has a trick up his sleeve!" It was a young voice that spoke, interrupting Aika's com. It was female, no doubt in Aika's mind.

"Got it!" Two large guns materialized from the giant's hands. It quickly fired them into the downed Liber Legis.

"Kurou? Kurou Daijuuji? Mr. Daijuuji! It's me, Aika!" Unbeknownst to Aika, the Liber Legis had vanished, due to his words.

"Aika? You know this guy, Kurou?" The female voice rang out over the com. "It can't be a coincidence."

"I'll explain it later, Al."

* * *

"Geez! The least you could have done was prevent excess damage but no!" Kryska was in a rage as she saw the damage that had been to the Gaia alone. "Next time, please."

"I know. Its not as if I was expecting that guy of all people. Besides," Aika moved his gaze over to the next area of the hanger, "If it wasn't thanks to Mr. Daijuuji and that girl, I would've been dead. I guess I really suck."

"Oh yeah." Kryska followed Aika's towards the strange people on the other side of the hanger, "What's the story between you two?"

"Huh? There's no story." Aika sighed. "I just worked for his detective agency for a bit. Rarely got any work because of it. That's beside the point. I don't know the girl he's with. It's only been two weeks since I left too."

"Aika…"

"What do you mean you can't fix it?" Kurou's voice rang out over Aika's and Kryska's conversation. "If you could just have just the Lemuria Impact like you said you could, we would've have had him there!"

"I would have if I could!" The white girl was getting angry, her voice fuming. "If it wasn't due to the fact that the Princess locked it away and won't give us the code to use it, I would've had him! We could've ended everything with one blow!"

Aika and Kryska looked at each and nodded in unison. Aika began to walk towards the arguing pair. "Umm…" He muttered, choosing his words carefully. "It is Mr. Daijuuji, right? It's me, Kazuma. Resolute. I worked for you back in Arkham City for a while."

The young black haired detective sighed. "Just one I thought things couldn't any worse." Kurou Daijuuji, despite his initial appearance being rather typical for someone from Arkham, was a pessimist and down-under-luck kind of character.

"Who is this? I thought you said you were going to tell me what the story was." The white haired girl spoke up. Her hair was as white as snow as was her clothing. Her hair was wrapped into long strands, tied with a red bow at the end. She stood at half the size of Kurou.

"Yes. This is Aika. He worked for me when I ran the detective business in Arkham." Kurou scratched his head, still stunned at the turn of events. "I thought he died when the plane vanished."

"Vanished?" Aika was the one perplexed now. "It didn't vanish though. We just crashed, didn't we?" Aika's head pinged as he tried to recall the events of two weeks prior. "I…I can't remember. It's as if that entire part of memory's gone."

"Oh, yeah. About that too.." It was Kryska who spoke now, placing her white scientist uniform's arm on Aika's shoulder. "That's another thing. You seem to have willingly locked out all memories of the last week as well. What have you found yourself involved in, Aika?"

"I…I don't know." Aika found himself grasping at his head. "I don't what the hell's going on. What am..I?"Tears began rolling down Aika's cheeks. "I don't even know I am anymore!"

"Aika…what happened that day?" Kurou had knelt down onto one day. "What the hell happened to you?"

"There was blood. Claws. Tentacles. Everybody on the plane died but me. I…I can hear the screams in my ears. There was something evil outside. I..I was frozen, I couldn't move. That's when I heard the voice inside of my head. Chroma saved me."

"That's impossible. Chroma wasn't…" Kryska's eyes darted from Aika to Saver Guardian in an instant. "If that's right," she muttered as she tapped her chin, "this is something much larger than I thought. If your memory loss is indeed connected to Chroma, what you saw that day and the golden giant, there might be more to that project than meets the eye."

* * *

Kryska had left Aika to Kuro Daijuuji's and the girl's, Al Azif, care. She headed furiously to the Command Room. She held the papers tightly in her hands and made sure that she had properly holstered the small pistol in her back pocket.

When she arrived, she made sure to act normal. She placed the papers on the desk. Tanaka emerged from one of the numerous entrances and exits that littered the large opened space. "Ahh, Mrs. Kryska. It's been a while since we've talked. Would you sit down and have a cup of coffee with me?" The man casually spoke as if nothing was wrong.

Kryska wished that were the case. She remained silent and reached around towards her back holster. She clutched the pistol tightly, slowly moving her finger towards the area where the trigger should have been located. "Tell me, Tanaka, what do you know of the Hyperion Project?"

"You're interested in that as well? I don't know much about that project, aside from a few meek details. If you really want to know, however,"

"Stop with the lies!" Kryska pulled the pistol out in front of her and aimed it at Tanaka's head. "I only agreed to take up your offer here because of my father's work! I thought I could use the technology to truly discover something that my father had perhaps missed! There was no way my father could have missed anything unless something was purposely hidden away from him!"

Tanaka smiled, his eye movements invisible due to the red tint of his glasses. "Extra-terrestrial life forms."

"Aliens?" Kryska's hand was shaking, her finger vibrating over the trigger. "Don't you be screwing with me, Tanaka!"

"That was the original intention of the Hyperion Project. A defence mechanism against extra-terrestrial life forms. 'Aliens' as you put it. We received warning roughly fifty years ago from one of our planet's satellites stationed around Pluto Something had triggered one of the sensors."

"Fifty years ago? That would put us roughly around 2050, AD. If that's true then…"

"Yes, indeed. It was roughly 2050 when we first received warning that perhaps we were not alone in the universe, after all. We began to construct mobile weapons to defend ourselves as well as space colonies in case the Earth became uninhabitable. War struck, however, plunging our world into darkness."

"The Neo Zeon Wars…" Kryska's eyes widened, "Then the Dancougars…"

"Yes, indeed." It was a new voice that interrupted Kryska. One that she, who had been working here for the past few years, did not recognize. It was a heavy, thick and resounding voice. One that commanded the utmost respect. "Dancougar was originally created to combat these alien life forms."

The virtual globe in the center of the room swirled into the center and transformed itself into a floating pale, blue head. "The wars mankind has fought have only prepared it for this coming battle."

"It's been a while, WILL." Tanaka smiled as the floating virtual head examined Kryska. It was clear that the two knew each other.

"What does this have to do with Aika's forced amnesia and the plane he was on? Answer me!" Kryska's hands were shaking much more violent now. Her fingers could easily slip and pull the trigger.

"That is one of the questions I do not have the answer for. All I know is that it was created for a purpose completely different from the Dancougars. Rather, its purpose _was_ different. Now, I fear that things have changed…outside…of what should have happened."

"What do you mean, 'was?' What do you mean things have changed?"

"I feel as if some outside force, some demonic force, is manipulating the world into its own twisted vision. If this is true, then the Hyperion, no, the Saver Guardian may be our hope. You need a team for the coming battle."

"I-I need a team?" Kryksa was taken aback by WILL's words. "You're give me command of this operation? I don't think that's wise."

"It is." Tanaka smiled and worked for directly towards Kryska, who was still holding the gun in her hands. "It was your father's wish for you to live an ordinary life. It seems I won't be able to make that promise a reality after all." Tanaka held out a small key-like object in his hands.

"Is this a key?" Kryska pulled the key away from Tanaka. "What's it for?"

"That neither of us know." WILL spoke up again. "It was left with us for safe-keeping. When the time comes, it will reveal the purpose it was meant to fulfill. For now, though, go find the organization that is next on your list. You will need financial support to further your operations after all."

"You two… Maybe I was wrong after all." Kryska clenched her new key in between her hands. "I'll do this. For my father's sake. I'm off then to Shibuya then."

As Kryska exited the room, Tanaka's smile cracked into a grin. "She's gone."

"Good," A third voice entered the fray. This time, it was rather dry and cracking. Between the communicator receiver and wherever it was coming from. "Tanaka, I assume you told what she needed to know and only that? Don't answer that question. We're moving up to Phase 02 of the plan. Start the preparations."

"Phase 02, sir? Now? We only recently got the key. We can't possibly be moving this fast with so little time." Tanaka was growing frantic by the second. "If we move up to Phase 02 without the proper procedures, we'll…"

"Tanaka!" The newcomer had grown impatient. "Prepare for Phase 02. _They_ are on the move. We can't afford to waste anymore time. We have to act now or lose our advantage. We need that team assembled now."

"F.S, sir. We may have a little problem with that. We still haven't fully unlocked the weapon's full systems yet. They've been locked, sir. From the outside."

"Interesting, indeed. What are you thoughts on that situation, WILL?"

"I believe it may be the Artificial Intelligence on board the unit. I am unable to access any information regarding the machine, the pilot, nor the AI. The encryption is highly exceptional. It would takes me years to even unlock the lock."

"Interesting. Is it possible that the AI has begun to function on its own? I do believe that may be the case. Keep an eye on the unit. Also; I've alerted our associates to begun the operation. Be warned: I have no knowledge for the operation times."

* * *

"I'm assuming we're headed to a new location?" Shinobu perked up, leaning forward into the center of the small cramped space. "Couldn't hurt to get some rest on the way."

"Yes. From what I've heard of the orders, we're headed to Shibuya." Sara added. "Masato, you've been. What's it like nowadays?"

Masato, the youngest of the CBF, had taken the spot of the group's information index for the global metropolitan centers. "Well, it hasn't changed much. Aside from the Katou Organization's random attacks now and again, it's still the same old Shibuya."

"I'm assuming the law enforcement still doesn't do anything?" Ryo added in. "Can't say I'm surprised."

"What can they do?" Sakuya sighed. "It's not like the cops do anything to protect the people to begin with, let alone those without homes."

"Its true. The Katou Organization is pretty fierce. I managed to do a little digging with my old's connections. Apparently, the police have tried to arrest a few key members of the organization. Most of the people would wind up dead, their bodies slashed in half." Kurara muttered underneath her breath, "They're definitely a pleasant group to deal with."

"I've read about that. 'Mysterious Swordsman Strikes Fear into The Hearts of Japan.' They can't catch the killer either. He just vanishes without a trace of ever being there, leaving just the body." Johnny pulled out a page from one of the few magazines he had sitting beside seat.

"I'm so glad I left." Aoi sighed, as she flipped through the magazine before tossing it aside. "It was a pretty crowded city. Though the shopping was good."

"Shopping?" One of the two girls at the far end of the truck perked up. "What was it like? You know, being rich and all." The girl's orange hair stood out, amongst the rest of the awkward hair styles and colors. "Eh… I mean, if it's not all that trouble."

"Mai, just quiet down!" Natsuki pulled her friend's shirt in an attempt to get her to be quiet. "We're on a job right now!"

"Okay, folks. Enough chit-chat." Kryska stood up, "We're doing this right the first time. Our mission is to defeat the Katou Organization's primary forces at this point. If we let them progress, Shibuya will fall into their hands. We don't want that. Don't worry though! We won't be going in alone. We'll be receiving support from a special operations group."

"Who?" It was Aika's time to ask a question.

"A certain company known as JUDA. Most of you will probably know them as the world's leading manufacturer of pharmaceuticals. In reality, they have possession of four Machina units."

"Machina? As in Deus Machina?!" Kurou jumped, banging his head off of the ceiling in the process.

"No, you fool! Machina does not equal Deus Machina!" Al Azif spoke, banging her partner on his head with her spare hand. "Machina have to have factors, people who manipulate them like a Magus and a Deus Machina."

"Okay, folks. Let's do this!" Kryska raised her hand into the air.

"Wait a minute," Aoi and Shinobu stared and spoke in unison, "That was my line!"

**PART 01:**

**END**

**NEXT PART: **

**Rise of the Machine Gods-**

**Part 02: Linebarrel, ACTIVATION!**


	7. Chapter 5 Part 02

Chapter 5.5

~Linebarrel, Activation!~

"First contact in t-minus thirteen seconds and counting."

The pale blue rocket thundered forward, jettisoning its exterior shell. After the shell had fully purged, the machine activated. Its pale yellow eyes lit up in a flash as purple beams struck across the airspace. The machine, using its large right arm, hefted its large rifle from its holster along the unit's waist. Countering with its own beam, the machine pulled the trigger.

The pursuers exploded, the units cracking at the core of the fuselage. The atmosphere was wracked by parts that quickly burned up. The pale green unit turned back forward, grappling for the purged equipment. It was falling too quickly. Just one more second.

The machine struggled to grasp a hold on the jettisoned armour. Its metallic hands clenched the sides of the pack. There was no way out of this situation.

"Commander!"

A metal blade pierced the machine's cockpit area and slid through with ease. Two green eyes ignited from within the explosion. The owner, a machine clad in a dark blue and reminiscent of a knight from medieval times, stood towering over the dismembered body plummeting downwards through the atmosphere.

"Phase 1, commencing. Target: All Katou Organization Forces within the Central Shibuya district. Mission, start up." The pilot's eyes were covered by the shadows protruding from the helmet. One thing was for sure; there was no way to determine friend from foe.

* * *

The two boys ran. They ran as fast as they could, paying no heed to their surroundings. What seemed like an ordinary day had taken a turn for the worst.

"Hurry up, Ikari!" The older of the two yelled back. " Can't you hear it?" The older boy was referring to the sounds of gunfire and explosions that rocked the town. Even the sounds of missiles had been sounded. The sirens racked the two boys' eardrums.

"I'm running as fast as I can!" The younger boy, Shinji Ikari, shouted as he attempted to catch up to his friend, the brown haired youth named Kouichi Hayase, only to find himself out of breath.

What happened next would change everything.

Three black shadows shattered the rubble in front of the two friends. They moved swiftly, almost disappearing completely before appearing directly between in front of the two friends. In an instant, one of the shadows had drawn its silver steel blade and was about to bring it down upon Hayase.

"Kouichi! Shinji!"

The two youths were stunned as a familiar voice racked their ears. "Ms. Katsuragi!?" They both shouted in unison as a sudden blast occurred directly in front of them, where the shadows once stood. The dust lifted and there stood a blue giant with two large katanas in its gigantic metal hands. Its head curved out inside and raised into an tall spire.

"So JUDA's deployed, huh?"

"Ms. Katsuragi?"

"Come on, Shinji." Misato Katsuragi removed her sunglasses and opened up her car door. "Your dad wants to see you. Your friend should go home right now."

"I'm fine!" Kouichi clenched his fist as he stared at the blue giant. The robot returned the gaze, almost warning him.

Shinji tossed his bag into the car and set one last gaze towards his friend. "Are you crazy? Do you intend to keep standing there? You're gonna die!"

"I don't care!" Kouichi was furious. Why couldn't this robot step in earlier? Why couldn't it have saved everyone? Was it simply because it was watching them? "I'll do it."

"Huh?" Shinji looked back at Kouichi.

"I'll do it!" Kouichi had clenched his hands so tightly that streams of blood were dripping down from the skin. However, there was no cut. "I'll become a Hero Of Justice!"

* * *

"These are…."

He felt the presence of a being with the cave with him as he moved his hand through the stone carvings. "I know this place." The silver haired youth had awoken to a strange yet all too familiar place. Outstretched before was sea as far as the eye could see. The only thing separating the boy was a black coffin, which he lied in, waving in and out with the tide. The darkness felt all too familiar, almost like a home.

Moving his hand outside of the rectangular box, the boy struggled to grasp a hold of the sides. His silver hair caught a glimpse of the sun, gleaming a bright white for only a moment before the it disappeared. A thought had crossed his mind. Perhaps he had been brought here for a reason. Perhaps it was his mission to ensure that the conflict be brought to a close again, this time in their favour.

"This war, again." The memories were still with him, he noticed. He had retrained them from before he had accomplished his goal last time. Now, however, he knew the results. They would end less than satisfactory. He needed to change it. First, the boy would a name.

"Kaworu." The boy's mouth cracked a smile as the name alone appeared in his head. "Kaworu Nagisa." It was a name all too familiar yet it brought forth a steady stream of emotion the boy had not felt in quite some time. This was to be a day he would remember for many to come.

* * *

Kouichi Hayase had left his friend, Shinji Ikari, in the hands of their teacher, Misato Katsuragi. He was too angry to face him again. The blue robot that had interrupted those three black shadows, it had to be because of it that they had attacked in the first place. Kouichi felt his fist clenched and brought it forward. He expected his hand to be stopped by the wall. He didn't expect the wall to shatter at the faintest touch.

Kouichi felt himself fall back at the shock of the broken and shattered wall. He was laughing. His back connected with what appeared to the ground of a nearby shrine. "With this kind of power….With this kind of power!"

It happened in an instant. Kouichi had held his hand in the air when a black dot appeared in the sky. It was tumbling towards him, showing no signs of stopping. He jumped to his feet and began to run. "That's got to be a satellite!" He ran faster, his body obliging for a mere moment before caving. He felt his leg tighten and cramp up as he gazed up at the black dot. It wasn't a satellite.

Horns protruded from what appeared a head, almost reminiscent of a demo from Japanese folklore. Its metal skin was streaked with white, red and brown. It seemed almost alive with demonic intent.

Kouichi wanted to run but his body refused to. The words left his mouth, even though he had no idea what they meant. "Deus Machina….."


	8. Chapter 6: Calling, With Unity

Episode 06

Calling, With Unity

"I understood the cost yet refused to accept the consequences."

Private Silas Irene sat alone in what appeared to be a room blockaded by all sides by steel plating. The thought of being trapped in a room with no clear exit etched the right nerves on the blonde hair former military man. For all that it was worth; the man had never liked being caged, especially after _that _night.

Silas's mind rushed towards the night where he had been witness to the tragic event. A shuttle leaving Arkham City had befallen a tragic fate as monstrous black tentacles, claws and fiends emerged from ahead. The shuttle had exploded. There were no survivors, as far as he could tell.

Apparently, that had been a lie. Here he was, imprisoned for withholding information he had never had in the first place. Whoever had survived had made it apparent. The fact they had the guts to also ally themselves with JUDA as well…

"Private…" His interrogator approached him, with papers in hand. The man was slender and wore a combination of lab clothing and work clothes. To top it off, he wore a pair of round glasses on top of his. Silas had been right. His interrogator was a scientist, one from the Union to make matters worse.

The 'scientist' had placed the papers on the opposite of the desk and sat down so that he was directly across from Silas. "What I'm about to tell you is top secret. If you speak of anything you hear outside of this room, I will make sure that you will do time for treason against this country. You wouldn't want that at all. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt in this situation. You do, however, still need to tell the truth. The higher-ups won't allow me to simply let you off scotch-free with this."

Silas returned the man's gaze. Even though the man had brown hair, he recognized him from the voice alone. It was the man who had proved himself time and time again developing the newest mobile weapon in the world. That would mean….

"Just leave the guy alone. He's clearly not willing to budge."

One of the numerous Aces of the Union had been appeared in between the doors. His hair too was a brown, albeit a lighter shade. The thing that got caught Silas off guard, however, was the man's uniform. He wasn't wearing one. It appeared to him to be casual clothes. The young man's strange appearance had been documented many times but Silas had never gotten the opportunity to meet the legend face to face.

"I'm sorry, sir!" Silas saluted him, releasing his tight grip on the metal chair. "Please forgive me for my insubordination! If I had been aware that both of you would have been coming, I would have –"

"Stop it." The legend raised his hand, signaling Silas to stop. "I don't need to hear apologies. I just want to know what you saw that night, Private."

"Nothing, sir. Didn't you read my reports? There were no survivors."

"Yet we received multiple reports that they were indeed survivors."

"That's wrong though. They must be from drunken sailors. I searched the area thoroughly. They were no survivors."

"Private," the scientist grabbed Silas's sleeve as the new recruit was getting clearly agitated, even despite who he was talking to. "It's best that you sit back down."

The legend simply shrugged. "Have it your way, Billy."

"Where are you going now?"

"The AEU's testing out some new unit. I was planning on popping over and seeing it for myself. You want to tag along?"

"Do I really have a choice, Graham?"

"Not really."

* * *

"It took a bit of waggling and some bargaining but I managed to get us one." Kryska was quite proud of herself as she sat in front of a heavily computerized area of the new truck. "Let's just say that having a bit of knowledge of technology repair does have its pros."

Aika sighed. Despite his initial protesting, she had had gone through with it. She had actually gone through with it.

"What's with the long face, Aika? Isn't this a good thing?" Kryska shrugged, refilling the glass of coffee she had once had filled. "You won't have to lug my things back at this rate."

"_Your_ things?" Aika raised an eyebrow. Why he ever volunteered for this was beyond him. Everyone else was out fighting and he had been reduced to not having any combat ability whatsoever. At least, he had his newfound communicator attached to his right ear.

"It's not so bad." Chroma's all too familiar voice echoed through the com. "At least, you won't be at risk for this. You haven't fought other humans yet, have you?"

"I haven't fought much at all. Unless you count Master Therion as human; even then, that wasn't a fight. That was a massacre."

"True." Kryska sipped her coffee as she began to formulate a strategy on how to deal with the invading Katou Organization forces. "Therion's definitely on the high end of enemies you'll most likely face down the road. Since you lost though, you could still learn from your fight." She took another sip. "Don't rely solely on the machine and its abilities. Use yours as well. Saver's just not up to full reliance potential yet. Even then," Kryska's face suddenly became more stern and serious, "I'm not fully aware of that potential to begin with."

"Not aware of the potential? You designed it so how could you not be aware of its potential?"

"I did design it, yes." Kryska returned her attention to the screen in front of her. "I just don't know Chroma's connection to it just yet."

"My connection?" Chroma herself seemed to be questioning that line of thought as well.

"Just…what are YOU?"

"What…Am I?"

* * *

The two Dancougars stood overlooking what appeared to be an area that had been scorched. Compared to the buildings below, the machines were gigantic. Each of them had numerous protruding points, some of which held missiles and laser cannons. The heads, despite being similar, had their differences, almost as if designed after human beings themselves.

Aoi Hidaka stretched her hands outward. She was tired, as could be seen under her eyes. The bright red pupils had become smaller and strained with red lines, in addition to the bags she carried underneath.

"Pulling all-nighters isn't really that healthy, is it?"

The only sound responding to her claim was the sound of rustling papers. Only Johnny's voice was heard through the paper. "According to this week's issue of Healthy Nation, no. All-nighters are, in fact, detrimental to one's well-being."

"Keep watching for any sort of movement. I'm getting some bleeps on the radar. It's Arma readings. I can't tell, however, if it's our guys or theirs." Masato muttered underneath his breath. "If they catch us off guard, we're pretty much screwed."

"Then we just knock them out of the ball park!" Sakuya cheered, nearly flipping a switch in the process.

The thought didn't faze the rest of Team D, nor the CBF. It was just Sakuya being Sakuya after all.

Stray bullet fire rocked the machines shortly after. It didn't even dent the armor as a whole but it did bring the attention back to the events unfolding before them.

A lone mobile suit, a greenish-blue Re-Gz, dashed across the streets, continuously firing its beam rifle with its equipped hand. The pilot was good. They had to give him that. For every move the enemy took, it was two steps ahead of them.

As the Armas closed, a pale pink light emitted from the Re-Gz's left palm. In it, it had snuck a beam saber. The beam saber was a high intensity plasma weapon capable of searing through enemy forces, although it was heavy on the energy supplies compared to the beam rifle.

The beam seared through the Armas like a knife through butter. To onlookers, the battle would seem one sided to the point of unfair.

"Attention D. Island Forces! This is Captain Amuro Ray, with the Londo Bell! I repeat, this is Amuro Ray with Londo Bell!"

Shinobu, Ryo, Sara and Masato all exchanged looks. They all nodded.

The massive Dancougar sprung forward, releasing a volley of lasers from the turrets mounted on its chest towards the remaining Armas. "Amuro! Is it really you?" Sara cried out.

The Re-Gz's visor lit up as if responding.

"Heads up!" The familiar face of Amuro Ray appeared on the monitors of the CBF. Shinobu knew what to do.

The sword was released.

* * *

JUDA had been surrounded. On all sides, Katou Organization Armas had surrounded the main building, their guns drawn. Despite having four Machinas on their side, JUDA had come close to defeat. The yellow Machina that specialized in range combat, Hind-Kind, had been outgunned. The large flying Machina that specialized in technological interference, Deceive, had been outplayed. Even Painkiller, the Machina specialized in controlling the monstrous "Familiars" had been defeated. The only that still stood was Vardant, the blue swordsman used by Reiji Moritsigu. However, he too was feeling fatigued.

"How's our backup coming along?"

"They've exerted all their forces to take care of the West Side."

"Damn it!" Reiji allowed Vardant's demon-like figure to draw its two swords from the wing binders that made the Machina stand out from the others. The binders were capable of carrying a variety of equipment depending on the mission. Reiji had chosen the swords. They were what he was most comfortable with, after all. That had proven to be an unwise choice. What the JUDA forces lacked in numbers, they made up in power. Katou had the numbers and were incredibly persistent which had reduced them to such a state as this.

"I'm getting a reading! It's the Union! They're broadcasting an IFF!"

"Good! We need as much support as we can get!"

"Huh?"

"Rachel, what's wrong?"

"They're saying 'Stand down or we'll open fire."

"WHAT?!" Reiji was furious. Vardant's swords had already taken down several Armas but they were not letting up. "Try getting Graham. He'd know what to do."

"I'm not getting any response from Mr. Aker's cell. Reiji, what are we going to do?"

Reiji bit his lip. The thought that they may actually lose had become the most prominent in his head. He refused to accept it.

"Wake up, Reiji!" Rachel shouted, "We're going to lose!"

Reiji would not get a chance to respond. Seemingly in response to the pleas of JUDA, another explosion rocked the battlefield. This did not come from JUDA or Katou Forces however. It came from something much more threatening.

It was wide in width but shorter than a Machina. It wielded two large cannons in its metal hands. What caught Reiji's eyes however, was not any of that. In the center of the machine, was a green sphere, almost as if it had been built into the machine itself.

The head of the machine also was vaguely familiar. Protruding from its chin was a red point, reminiscent of the face of the Sphinx from ancient Egypt. Its eyes were bright green, similar to the chest sphere and the green trail it left.

The beams that held the machine together were mounted on its shoulder. The cannons reminded Reiji of anti-aircraft guns, although he was unsure if they performed the same function.

"Rachel!"  
"Already on it, Mr. Moritsigu!"

The machine was powerful although Reiji was unsure if it was friend or foe. It was abnormally familiar and yet so distant. That was when Reiji magnified his view on one specific point.

He read the word aloud, struck by dread.

"Gun…dam."

* * *

_It is the Era known as the New AD._

_15 years ago, tragedy struck as an archeological dig unearthed something the Arctic. _

_It was what would become known as the First Angel and the beginning of the end of the world as we knew it._

_10 Years Ago;_

_Earth trembled as the alien race known as the Muge Zorbados Empire invaded. _

_In addition, the One Year War began when the Principality of Zeon began to wage a war for independence._

_In an attempt to counter these threats, the Earth Government formed a special task force known as "White Base." _

_A young boy, Amuro Ray, became the pilot of the Federation's prototype Project V Mobile Suit, the RX-78-2._

_At the same time, the Japanese Government initiated a secret project amidst this known as the CBF Initiative. These two teams would ultimately meet both as enemies and allies in The One Year War. _

_It was at the Battle of A Baou Qu that they finally came to terms and formed their own organization, The Londo Bell._

_5 Years Ago;_

_The Second Neo Zeon War came to an end. The Axis Forces, Titans Forces and Neo Zeon all vowed to go their separate ways after a deadly confrontation at the Gryps Colony Laser system. _

_The remaining Neo Zeon Forces were exiled to deep space, the Titans were disbanded and Axis was forced to inhabit the floating asteroid colony as it was plunged to deep space._

_It was during this year that the first discovery of Mana, a new energy source, was discovered. In order to study the mysterious powers it possessed, a special university was established. Only a select few were ever selected to graduate from the university's special, illustrious program before it was fully cancelled. _

_3 Years Ago;_

_A space shuttle heading towards the International Space Station was struck midflight. On it was a young astronaut. No matter what physicians did, they could not revive the astronaut until a mysterious golden mechanical lion appeared, carrying with it a young boy. _

_Lyger Shishoh, one of the scientists working for the ISS Program, witnessed his son get hit by the mysterious life form, and thus began a long campaign to create the world's first human cyborg with the help of the UN funded organization, NERV._

_2 Years Ago;_

_The Katou Organization, a group in possession of highly advanced weapons known as Machina, appeared. Initial reactions were that they were not of this world and that their leader, the man called Katou, was in fact from an alternate history where mankind had been all but destroyed._

_This was the first appearance of the pharmaceutical company known as JUDA. Also in possession of the monstrous machines known as Machina, they were the only ones capable of fighting on equal ground with the Katou Organization._

_Also occurring in this year was the first appearance of the Black Lodge, a group of rogue Magi led by the enigmatic Therion. Their goal, however, was not to create violence. It was to obtain the ancient texts known as the Grimoires. Using monstrous behemoths that made Machinas look weak, powered by magic itself, the Deus Machina, they ravaged Arkham City as if it was their own personal playground._

_1 Year Ago;_

_The sudden appearances of the guardian known as Dancougar Nova, in addition to the reappearance of the CBF, startled the world. Legend had it that Nova would appear on battlefields to protect the losing side. The thought of the machine itself provoked war itself as people wanted to catch even a single look at the machine._

_The formation and official commencement of the organization 3G, or the Gutsy Galaxy Geoid was the only answer to the conflict brought about by Nova. _

_This year;_

_A passenger plane was suddenly shot down leaving Arkham. Reports indicate that this was caused by monstrous beasts from another world. There were no survivors, aside from a young, former PI, called Kazuma Resolute._

_The sudden appearances of Angels once again shook the world._

_An island private school opens its door for the first time in nearly a decade, bringing with the odd assortment of individuals with unique abilities and guardian beasts, known as Childs._

_To make matters even worse, reports indicate another Machina appeared, not affiliated with either JUDA or Katou._

_It is the Era known as the New AD._

_It is an era filled with strife, confusion, war, and conflict, all in the name of independence._

_It is the Era in which war will change, with the deployment of massive robotic beasts capable of single handily changing the tide of conflict alone._

_At which point will the future change?_

_At what point will the lives of those involved in many of the greatest battles find peace?_

_At what point will the new generation take up arms to fight for their own beliefs?_

_At what point... _

_Will the world move?_

_The young lives, the old lives…_

_This is the story of a war that will threaten everything humanity knows and much more. This is a story of those willing to force the world to change. This is a story of people willing an endless cycle of conflict to further their own ideals. This is a story of those people willing to overcome the past, the present and the future in an attempt to change for the better. This is a story of people preventing the world from change. _

_This is a story of ideals._

_This is a story of hope._

_This is a story of a future unknown._

_This is the story of the Perfect Shift._


	9. Chapter 7- Perfect Shift

_The Girl vowed revenge. She would not let those who shattered her friendship with the Boy go unpunished._

Episode 07:

Perfect Shift

-Crisis on the Battlefield-

Kaworu emerged from the cave in which he had first awoken. Looking out, the cave would have to have been placed on a beach, most likely. What he noted when he emerged was that it was not a beach that the cave had been placed on. It was on an outcropping of a small lake that extended for a few feet before dropping into the water below.

"You realize that you won't be able to stop anything this time?"

Kaworu looked up, only to see a young boy sitting on wooden stills which assisted in holding the cave entrance. He too had silver hair, albeit a lighter shade. His skin was also pale as snow. In the boy's young hands, he held a book sealed with a lock. Beside the boy, Kaworu noted, was a figure clad in blood. The figure was intimidating, given first appearances.

"Nagi Homura." Kaworu rolled the words off his mouth, almost as if intending to give off the intent of anger. "What is it that you want?"

"Can't I say hello to an old friend?" The boy, Nagi, laughed. He leaped from his spot on the wooden beams. He vanished and reappeared next to Kaworu. "You won't change anything. The Shift's already started. You've tried before and yet failed. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"What are you implying?"

"Chill, Tiberius." Nagi raised one of his free hands. "How do you intend to get close to them? NERV, I mean. Assuming Ikari is in charge this time like before, don't you think the precautions are the same? Blood-type and all," the boy shrugged, "makes a difference when it comes to getting access. Unless you're intending to try something different this time…"

Kaworu smiled. "I do intend to try something different. I won't tell you though. After all, you'd just tell." Kaworu raised his hand and pointed to the sky. To a red star, in particular. "We don't want that, do we?"

Nagi sighed and vanished again to reappear back in the stone pillars. "You're no fun. I'm assuming you remember my friend here?"

The figure standing beside Nagi simply made a sound from its throat, almost like a growl. "You see," Nagi added, "It would be impossible for you to escape if I gave the order."

"Try it." Kaworu smiled.

The figure lunged, unsheathing what appeared to a large sword. It closed the distance between it and Kaworu in an instant and brought the sword down, all in one fluid motion.

The sword would not connect. Kaworu had raised his hand. The sword was stuck in mid-swing as tiny glimpses of an orange square light appeared to crackle between the two.

"An A.T. Field?" Nagi was laughing to the point where he nearly fell off of his position on the stone beams. "I can't believe it! You're still…"

Kaworu didn't move. Instead, what happened next made Nagi stop laughing. A sudden pulse from Kaworu's hand sent the figure rushing backwards, almost as if an unknown force strong enough to push it back had. The air seemed to manifest, however briefly, into a figure behind Kaworu as he did.

"13."

"Huh?" Nagi had just started to get up when Kaworu spoke.

"Number 13."

Nagi's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're…really serious, aren't you?"

Kaworu smiled. "I very much am. Now, if you will excuse me, I have things I need to accomplish."

* * *

"Separated."

Aika was even more perplexed than usual. "What do you mean, 'Chroma separated from Saver's main body?"

"Even by my standards and this data that we gathered," Kryska was busy typing away on what appeared to a computer screen but in reality, was actually a direct-input interface. "it should be impossible. Chroma's main intelligence systems, however, have indeed separated from the main body."  
"What does that mean exactly? I'm unaware myself." Chroma herself had chimed in.

"I don't know. From what I understand, however, it has something to do with the machines themselves, your systems and Aika." Kryska ran her hand through her hand. "This is just too much trouble. I only taped your systems and the machines together, so to speak. It would eventually break, resulting in a loss of connection. I just…never thought it would be so soon."

"Can you fix it?"

"That would be a…negative."

"So, we can't deploy Guard until we get this all figured out right?" Aika didn't understand the technology aspect of all of this. He tried to follow along the best he could however. "Did you check the Mana Conductors?"

Kryska was about to answer Aika's first question but then he had proposed the later. "No…" she was dumbfounded. How could he have known about the conductors? "That might be it."

Kryksa ran outside, with Aika shortly behind her. She kneeled down under the Gaea's main vent and ran her hand across it. "This is disgusting. It's all sticky." She closed her eyes but continued to move her hand around. She only opened them again once she had found the lever that she had to pull. She pulled down incredibly hard, only for the lever to move ever so slightly. It was as if it refused to come down.

"Aika…You mind helping me out with this?" She pulled her hand out and was washing her hand in a mere two minutes after pulling it out. "It's by my right, so your left."

Aika obliged, and reached underneath. He had no problem however. "Sticky? Really? This feels kind of nice."

He pulled the lever and felt the exhaust sip onto his hand. "This…"

"Aika?"

It was Chroma. She had regained control. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Just a little shock, nothing to worry about." He was lying. He had felt something under there. When he was finally able to pull his hand out, he looked. He felt sick although nothing was wrong. "I…What was that? It felt so…weird." In reality, it had felt just like…

"Back then." It was the same feeling he had when his shuttle had come under attack and he first made contact with Chroma. "Why didn't I realize it sooner?" Aika was laughing. "The thought had crossed my mind before but now, it seems to be a reality."

"You okay there, Aika?" Kryska approached him with cloth still in hand. She offered him the cloth but he shook his head. "You seem a little out of it, even for you."

"Just a little tired, I guess. Say, Kryska…"

"What is it?"

"When we first met, did you notice anything…abnormal about me?" Aika was careful as not to state his thoughts directly.

"Now that you mention…" Kryksa had thought of something. "You do seem to be a little too good for someone who has never piloted before. Not to mention the entirety of Chroma. What was that other thing? You seem to have a tendency to fade in and out?

"Fade in and out?" Aika shivered. Was he really…No, it couldn't have been.

"You know, mind wise."

"Oh." Aika breathed a sigh of relief. He pushed the thought out of his mind. He'd always been kind of absent minded so it didn't bother him that he was just overreacting.

"Now, that we've got that fixed, how about we go help out?" Kryska smiled at Aika, hoping that he too would follow her into the battle.

"It's only right." Aika returned the smile but he couldn't push the sense of dread that had implanted itself in him. No matter what he wanted to do, he couldn't forget the feeling that he would regret going.

* * *

Reiji, despite his fatigue, had stayed steadfast. The Armas threw themselves towards Vardant, completely ignoring the fact that the Machina had already cut down their brothers. Rather than run and fight another day, the Armas wanted to fight now.

After impaling numerous Armas with swords, Reiji was running low on stock. His guns were also out of ammunition. Forcing himself to stay concentrated on the task at hand, Reiji ignored the hulk of metal fighting off its own supply of Armas.

Rachel, who Reiji had been in constant communication since the unknown had appeared, was startled by the current turn of events.

"I still can't believe it's not attacking you, Reiji. I guess it must be scared of Vardant."

Reiji stayed silent as Rachel ranted. His eyes were both on the unknown and Armas. "How are the repairs of the others coming?"

"The D-Soil is working, but not at the speed required to have them in active combat so soon. Ms. Kujou is also in critical condition."

Reiji continued to slice open Armas. Occasionally, he would pick up one of their weapons. He, however, was getting tired.

"Let's try this again! Your reinforcements are here!"

Reiji noticed a section of Armas immediately explode, much to his surprise. It appeared to have come from the distant north. Numerous pink beams continuously impaled the Armas. Missiles, too, were involved in the barrage of fire. The beams themselves were of a smaller variety than the large ones used by the bulky unknown.

"Rachel! IFF?"

"Already on it! It's reading…Friend? The other unknown has also changed theirs to friend as well!"

Reiji cracked a smirk before stopping himself. He knew he wouldn't lose. "I'm moving on ahead." Vardant dashed forward, with blades. It took numerous Armas with it as it ran. When it had finally entrance to the main building, it reached down to pull open the gigantic canister with its metal hands. "Perfect."

Vardant had released its swords and instead, mounted the long range bombardment artillery it had stored previously. Two long range linear rail guns had now been attached.

It began to coordinate its fire with the unknowns. When Reiji fired his rail guns, the other two would also fire theirs. It was timed perfectly so that anyone who got caught in the crossfire would be trapped, unable to escape.

"Finally here!" It was a young boy's voice. "God, Kryska. Could you lose some weight or something?"

"Not my fault that you wanted to stop for drinks!"

Reiji was shocked, albeit in a good way, to see more reinforcements. "The IFF?"

"Now, these ones I recognize! It's Tanaka's folks!"

"Saver Guardian is this unit's name. It's a pleasure, Factor of Vardant."

Reiji heard it in Rachel's voice. "Kryska? Is that really you, Kryska?"

"Good to hear from you too, Rachel."

"That's Saver Guardian? Nice piece of work. Could use a bit of my own touch buuuuuut…"

Reiji cut the link as he stared at the newcomer. Compared to his own Vardant, Saver Guardian was much more flamboyant. Its colors atrocious and the weapons were unusable if the components were damaged in the right places.

It did, however, give Reiji a greater fear than the previous unknown had. He was unaware of its capabilities, unlike when he had read the name of the previous unit, which had automatically reminded him of the White Devil of the One Year War, the RX-78-2. It also shared similarities with it. This one, however, did not.

The machine was powerful though the pilot was a complete novice. Reiji examined the way the machine moved, its weapons and even the tendencies of the pilot as they danced across the battlefield. Despite the unit itself having much more of an armament at one time than his own, the pilot stuck to the two handed sword that emerged.

Even that did not distract Reiji from the important task he had been given. Vardant had moved back to using its swords as it disembarked the rail guns. The machine leapt back into the fray, more determined than ever.

Aika was frantically hitting buttons and pulling levers. He had no idea what he was doing, but whatever it was, it was working. The majority of the forces that had been here when he arrived had either been wiped out or simply fled. He still had the sense of dread, despite that. He gazed down at his own eyes. They quivered yet they weren't cold.

"Drop me off at the entrance!"

"What?" Aika shook his head. "How do you expect me to do that?"

Kryska grinned. "Fine, I'll do it myself!" She forced her way into the button pad that sat before Aika. She pressed the button that sent signals to the cockpit hatch to open and she struggled to get her way out. She placed one foot on the protruding hatch. "I've just gotta go for a bit. I'll be right back so don't think you can get away from me." She smiled. Aika was improving day by day.

Aika closed the hatch after Kryska had leapt outside. "I just don't get her sometimes."

"What is there to get? She's naturally that way. Humans are really unique creatures, I'll give them that."

Aika chuckled. "Was that sarcasm? You're unique too, you know."

"What is this 'sarcasm' you speak of? I was just observing."

Aika knew Chroma at her base, was still part machine but the thought that she didn't know what sarcasm was hit him in the wrong spot. "After we're done, I'm going to teach you all about humans. Make sure you pay attention this time."

"I'll try. I can't help but find humans most interesting when they do not know when they are being observed."

Aika sighed. "You have one sick twisted sense of humour; you know that, right?"

* * *

Kaworu Nagisa had finally reached the top of the cliff side he had been climbing. He had refused to use his abilities because. The words that Nagi said, however, still haunted him. He gazed around. Armas filled the ground as far as the eye could see. A blue flash struck across his view and so did an orange one. Kaworu knew the site all too well. This was the fourth time, after all.

"He said I couldn't change it." It pained Kaworu to admit but perhaps Nagi was right. Perhaps there was no need for him to intervene? Perhaps it was this world's fate to forever repeat the same events, over and over again?

He refused to accept it. He knew what was going to happen. They would lose this battle and JUDA would fall. Katou would win this battle, thus propelling the world into even greater war. The fifth Machina would never appear to be an ally to JUDA like it had before, thus killing all hope they had.

There was only one choice. He had to intervene.

He would never get the chance.

Kaworu noticed a tear in the sky. It was stained black. It was a familiar site, but not at this moment. Things were already moving differently without his intervention. He saw it at that moment.

Black feathers scattered across the sky, monstrous claws protruding from what appeared to be hands and hooked talons for feet. It was reminiscent of a harpy, to put it bluntly. It sat there, in the tear. It noticed Kaworu as it noticed him. Its curved beak opened wide as if to smile. It flapped the wings on its back and sped towards the battlefield.

Aika didn't see it coming. The monstrous bird-like creature sped towards him that he only caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. Aika met the creature's gaze directly. He felt as if his entire body was being torn apart just by looking at it. His heart rate had increased, forcing him to clutch his chest. Even Chroma was speechless at the abnormal take of events. The creature simply hung there, waiting.

Kryska had turned her back for a moment. Now, as she turned back to wave towards Aika, she was horrified at what she saw. The winged creature had latched onto Guardian with its claws and talons. She wanted to scream. Her entire body screamed.

_Run away,_ it told her. She couldn't move. Her entire body was stunned.

The creature's claws began to scratch against Guardian's cockpit. Aika couldn't help but hear the sound of the claws scraping against it. He was scared. Where had such a beast come from? Why was it here? The thoughts ran through his head as he tried his best to shake the creature off to no avail. The creature held on.

The claws finally pierced. Aika saw the monstrous claws at point blank. They were that of a bird, a monstrosity. He wondered if it was death itself.

Kryksa flipped open her com. "Aika, Aika!" She screamed.

No response.

"Aika! AIKA! If you can hear me, say something! Anything!"

Again, no response.

Kryska looked up towards Saver Guardian. The mechanical behemoth had white light piercing in it as the creature buried its claws deeper into it.

"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it." Kryska felt all her energy leave her body. What the hell was happening? Her mind rushed with thoughts, _ugly_ thoughts. Was this her fault? Had she brought this upon herself? What had she tampered with?

"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it."

Tears ran down her eyes. "I'm sorry I can't do anything!" Saver Guardian's metallic body exploded into a ball of orange flame. Kryska screamed as she saw the winged creature emerge from the flames, its harpy-like body unscathed.

"KAZUMA! KAZUMA! KAZUMA! KAZUMA!"

Tears still ran down Kryska's face. Her eyes, however told a different story. They were bloodshot, almost demonic looking. "I'll kill you...I'll kill you...I'll kill you...I'll kill you. I'll kill you...I'll kill you." She looked up, her face twisted into a blood-lust. "I'll kill you!"

Something had snapped inside of Kryska. It was as if something evil had awakened. She clenched her chest tightly, wrapping her fingers tightly around the key she had been given prior.

The key, however, beat too, like Kryska's enraged heart. It felt her anguish. It felt her sadness. It felt her rage. It felt everything that she felt. To Kryksa, unaware of the key's true nature, life had taken a new purpose. Rather than protect the world, she would change it. She would get her new friends back, even if it meant destroying everything else...

* * *

Silas Irene had been shipped to the outpost on the Moon against his will. He'd been to the moon before, albeit under rather different circumstances. Today, he had been to sent to investigate an alert sent from one of the numerous moon bases that had scattered.

"I'm not fit for this kind of job." He muttered as he turned one of the corners in the large facility, pistol drawn and loaded.

He heard something around the corner. He readied himself as he peered around. What he saw would stay with him for the rest of his life.

The creature stood on all four of its legs. Its tail, at least what Silas would classify as a tail, was tipped with a snake head. Its rear body was that of a goat but had lizard scales scattered underneath. Its frontal body and head, was that of a lion. The teeth of the creature were dug into what appeared to be a corpse lying on the ground.

"Just what the hell?"

Irene, jolted by the creature's appearance, opened his communicator. He accessed the photo function and took a picture, being sure to turn off the flash. "That'll teach them."

On his way back, Irene's mind was in a different place. "The creatures I saw when that shuttle went down, and now this one...Are they connected?" To think such creatures could exist at any other place would be ridiculous. Silas knew better. After managing to sneak a peak at some of the things that Feds had been experimenting with, Irene was positive of the connection. Near the exit to the base, Silas retrieved one of the numerous space suits and slowly tucked his body into it.

Silas Irene had left the moon base. Rather than directly head towards he was supposed, Silas left for the right of the base. On his way inside, he had noted an abnormally large crater beside the very same base that he had just exited.

"The reports indicate..."

Silas was too observed with mental thought to acknowledge that he had just fallen into the very crater he had been looking for. He didn't come out of his trance like state until his right foot connected with something.

He looked down, startled.

To many the initial shock of finding a metallic being stranded on the moon would be enough to cause fainting. Silas was too startled already by what he had witnessed inside to be startled anymore.

Or so he thought.

The being started at him, its eyes a dark red. Claws protruded to either side of the machine's body, on opposite sides of the crater. Metal fangs extended to shortly in front of where Silas stood. What caught him most of guard was the abnormal feet. They were double jointed towards the rear. Rather than simply being straight, the machine's feet were reminiscent of a horse hoof.

"Who is it that disturbs me?"

Silas, however, did not answer.

"This smell," massive exhausted forced itself onto Silas's entire body, "I know it. It is...human. This smell, yes. It is very human. A human has disturbed my sleep?" The machine growled. "It has been a long while since I have seen a human. Speak, human!"

The voice was rasp, dry and almost wise. Silas wanted to speak but he couldn't. The way the voice spoke reminded him of his encounter with the city people of Krugis. Understanding that not speaking would simply anger the machine even more, Silas spoke.

"Private Silas Irene, of the Earth Federation Army, Union Forces, 423rd Recon Force, sir! It's a pleasure to meet something as wise as you, sir!"

"Sir?" More exhaust flowed out from what Silas assumed was a mouth. The machine had laughed. "Bwah! Don't make me blow more circuits than I need to, human!"

"May I ask of what...you are?" Silas asked, dropping the sir as per the strange machine's request. It may him feel at ease as well. It was uncomfortable addressing something as sir when he didn't know the thing's gender to begin with.

"I was waiting for this question." The fangs protruding in front of Silas snapped shut and then again, opened. "I am what simply is and what is not. I am a being who protects the world you call Earth from the Invaders from Beyond The Stars. It seems I have failed, however. Even my sister, the one who successfully landed upon your rock, has failed. I can no longer sense her presence, nor the one she had chosen to become her user."

"Invaders from Beyond The Stars?" Silas wanted to ask about the Sister part first but he found Invaders from Beyond The Stars to be a more important subject all around.

"Yes." More exhaust. Silas wondered if he would need to actually shower once he got back, given the amount of steam that had now find its home on him. "They are beings from what your kind would call Deep Space. They are beings who's very numbers dwarf even the populations of the greatest planets in the galaxy. They are blight upon the galaxy itself! Tell me, human! Did my sister fall valiantly in battle against the Invaders from Beyond the Stars?"

"I'm unaware of the one you call Sister. We haven't had any extra-terrestrials land on Earth in nearly a decade. I think the last ones were the Muge guys."

"I am at a loss for words, human. Answer me one last question: I understand I am currently on the rock orbiting your planet. This rock, as humans put it, is the Moon, Luna. If I had landed here, and had a hold on my sister before I hit the ground as released my grip, where on your planet would my sister have ended up?"

"Depending on the angle of the trajectory and your momentum, your sister would have ended up..." Silas was no expert on space science. He had failed that course multiple times. What he did know was that it wasn't his forte. If he told the machine the wrong answer, who knows what would happen. "Your sister would have ended up in the vicinity of..." It hit Silas like a speeding bullet. If he had encountered this machine, assuming there had been another, "Arkham City. Your sister would have arrived in the outskirts of Arkham City."

The machine rose up, revealing its true shape. The claws and fangs that Silas had seen were only part of the machine. It was humanoid in nature and gigantic in height. Below the claws were gigantic metal hands. The fangs, however, were part of the lion included in the chest itself that. The face was humanoid, capable of moving what appeared to be a jaw and a fully emotional.

"My sister's name in your language would have been...Chroma. My sister's name is Chroma. Please, human. Have you heard that name before?"

Silas nodded. While it sounded vaguely familiar, he had no means of understanding where he had heard it from.

"If you need of my help in any way, human," the machine had knelt so that it could speak face-to-eye with Silas, "I will heed your call. While my sister may not be alive this day, I have met someone else who may be of a great service to me."

"What is your name? I mean, what should I call you?" Silas asked, turning away. "It would be hard to ask your help otherwise."

The machine pondered for a moment as it too turned around to face the opposite direction. "Unlike my sister, my name has no meaning in your language. For now, Belphegor will do."

_Belphegor._

Silas ran away in the direction he was originally supposed to leave towards. He wondered if he had just made a grave mistake.

* * *

Kaworu stared onward. It had all happened in a split second. Everything he knew had changed, for the worst. What he had intended could no longer happen. The energy left in his body had left. The world had changed yet again, without his intervention.

The familiar sound of his otherworldly former-friend rustled. "What did I say?"

Nagi Homura sighed as he appeared directly beside Kaworu. "You can't change anything even if you wanted to do. You might as well give up. After all, Father wouldn't be happy that you keep on messing up."

Deep down, he knew Nagi was right. He wanted to deny it so hard yet he couldn't.

**_After all, what was there to change now?_**


	10. Chapter 8- False Truce

_Three weeks had passed since the day that wracked the world. Mysterious creatures had appeared all over the planet, in addition to monstrous tears in the sky. Despite the best efforts of her new found allies in the form of JUDA, former scientist of Dragon Fang Island Kryska Agari, fell into a deep depression. Her personality shifted, becoming much more volatile and tendencies for violent outbursts became prominent. _

_Once a peaceful mind, her entire world was shattered and the truth was revealed to her. Vowing revenge for the lives lost at her hands, Kryska promised herself that she would destroy them._

Episode 08:

False Truce

The man on the monitor was old. His face was smooth with the exception of the sideburns and beard that covered most of the lower portion of his face. In his hands, or at least as far as the recording showed, he held a cane.

He spoke, his voice booming across the world.

"_I would like to address this statement to every single human being born and raised on Earth. We call ourselves simply Celestial Being. We are a private armed organisation in possession of the mobile weapon Gundam. The main objective of Celestial Being's activities is to completely eliminate acts of war from this world. We do not act for our own benefit or for personal gain. We have chosen to intervene for the greatest goal of all to rid ourselves of the scourge of war. As of this moment I make this declaration to all humanity. Territory, religion, energy no matter what the reason or excuse if there is an evident act of war being carried out, we will commence intervention with our force. Any country, organisation or corporation that promotes war will also be a legitimate target for our intervention. We simply call ourselves Celestial Being. We are an armed organisation that was established to eliminate all acts of war from this world. I repeat…."_

The man was quickly drowned out in the offices of JUDA by a large ruckus of unique individuals: from the holographic appearance of Tanaka, to the rather humorous actions of Kunio Ishigami, the company's esteemed founder.

"They're moving out?" Ishigami's face became stern and serious, a side of himself he rarely showed. "Then we need to move ahead ourselves. We need the fifth."

Tanaka adjusted his glasses. "That's true. If the rumours are true, then perhaps the fifth would indeed prove useful. Tell me, Kunio. What do you intend with Kryska Agari? She is currently in an unstable position given what she saw."

"I plan on giving her to Mr. Moritsugu's unit. I fear that if we let her see actual combat, though…"

"You're scared that those creatures might appear again?" Tanaka's face too became serious. "I've crossed referenced them with everything we have on Dragon Fang. I'm not getting results. Do you recognize them?"

Ishigama shook his head. "No. If you don't have any data on them, they must truly be Unknowns. Have you received any word from Team D?"

"Negative. It appears Miss Hidaka has taken things into her own hands. "Have you received word on Miss Kuga and her companion arriving safely on your end?"

"That, too, would be a negative. They very well might have arrived but they never checked in with us as to their next move. I would assume that Miss Kuga has a plan of her own."

"I see." Tanaka sighed. It was too much work. "F.S. seems to have an idea of what those creatures were however. He is more concerned with the announcement earlier, despite that."

"Celestial Being…" Ishigami's face twisted. "They believe that by creating conflict they will be saving the world. Little do they realize the actions they perform will very much have the opposite effect."

"What should we do regarding that problem?" Tanaka asked.

"Don't you worry about a thing. I have a plan in place for such an occasion." Ishigami smiled as he turned his chair to the reverse, facing the window that opened up towards the city of Shibuya. "Don't you worry about a thing, Tanaka. Just make sure you work on 'that other thing."

The two parted ways, but Ishigami's face remained stern. "Celestial Being… If they've started to appear, then the plan must be under way already. This is too soon. We don't have enough viable resources to start a fight with them at the moment. With only the first four, we wouldn't stand a chance if they attacked us directly."

Kunio Ishigami would dwell on the thought for the rest of day…

* * *

"I couldn't do anything!"

Kryska clenched her fists as tears streamed her face. "I couldn't save him! It's all my fault!" She felt absolute furious at herself. She had tampered with things that should not have been tampered. Was it her fault that Kazuma had died?

"Don't beat yourself over it. These things happen." Shizuna Endoh sighed. "Gee, you'd think someone like you would be smarter than this." The young girl was only slightly shorter than Kryska. She was twins with the black-haired boy that stood beside her, her brother Izuna. They both wore the JUDA uniform, a black business suit.

"Sis!" Izuna cried out. "You don't need to talk to people like that!"

"What?!" Shizuna responded. "It's not like she's strong enough to protect people on her own! If she was, Saver Guardian wouldn't have been destroyed!"

Kryska snapped. She clenched her teeth and threw her fist towards Shizuna. The young girl caught her hand mid-way. "Don't talk to me like that!" Kryska growled. "It's not my fault!"

"Of course it's your fault!" Shizuna returned the growl with her own. "Had you not tampered with forces beyond your knowledge, none of this would have happened! Aika would still be alive and Saver Guardian would still be together!"

Kryska wanted to deny it. She wanted so badly just to deny it. Shizuna's words, however, had struck a cord. She was right. It had been her fault. It was her fault that Aika was dead. It was her fault that Chroma had gone with him too.

"I'll…"

Shizuna returned her eyes to Kryska's face. "What? Haven't had enough yet?"

Izuna's eyes widened as he noted his sister get closer to Kryska. "Don't do it, Sis."

"I'll…"

Everything slowed to a halt in a mere second.

Kryska had reached up and grabbed Shizuna by the neck. Her fingers wrapped her around her throat. Shizuna screamed. Everything had happened so fast that she had no idea what was happening.

"Damn it!" Reiji rushed to Shizuna's side and took Kryska underneath his arm. Her grip loosened and Shizuna felt her feet touch the ground.

Despite being taken down by Reiji, Kryska's body still felt agitated. She saw his face as her vision returned after a moment of brief unsightliness. She noted Shizuna being comforted by her brother and her eyes as sharp as daggers looking at her. What had she done?

"See? She's not human. She's just like them. Why do we still have her in JUDA? She's….beyond help."

Kryska hated it. Shizuna was right. She wasn't human any more. She had no remorse, not to mention she no longer had any memory of what had just happened that had caused her to snap. All she remembered was her hands wrapping around Shizuna's fragile throat.

"I…"

She wrapped her fingers around her key hanging from her neck. She squeezed. It was the only thing she had left that reminded her of Kazuma or Chroma. Tears bean to run down her eyes again. "If only I could've saved them!"

The key grew warm, although Kryska didn't notice it. Reiji, however, did. He would have to bring up next time he spoke with the President.

* * *

It had happened without warning. Hisataka Katou stood inside JUDA's head office. He sat directly across from Ishigami, a stern look across his face.

"It seems that our conflict will have to wait, Kunio." Katou spoke, his voice dreading what would come next. "You have seen the news, correct? The Fifth has apparently joined forces with those other ones. The ones that never appeared, Celestial Being. I do not believe this conflict need continue. The world has already begun to change, even if our actions up until this point have not reached where they should be for it to be happening."

Kunio Ishigami, too, realized this. "It appears that what we feared may be coming true. Due to our actions here, things have begun to change."

"Not just our actions," Katou corrected, "theirs as well." Katou placed the papers he held in one hand on the desk in front of him. "Ikari has already begun to change things. He succeeded this time."

Ishigami's face became even more serious, a side that he had never shown. "If that's the case, the weapon he was developing…"

"Can become both a saviour and a death sentence."

They were referring to the synthetic humanoid weapon known as Evangelion, or EVA for short. One such unit had remained in production slightly under the city of Tokyo-3 for nearly a decade. It was a deadly machine, one that even the Machinas should fear. It possessed an ability that they couldn't penetrate if they were to ever engage in combat.

"The Fifth can penetrate the Field, correct?"

"It possesses the Executor, after all. Penetrating the Field should be no problem. It's what comes next that would be the problem."

* * *

Belphegor was heading directly towards Arkham City via the ocean. Accompanying him Silas Irene, the human man he had encountered on the Moon, Luna. Belphegor had shifted into what appeared to be a gigantic metal lion, capable of running on the water via the immense thrusters located beneath the humanoid claws that had covered its metal hands and the thrusters on its rear, located roughly a few feet away from the tail. Despite his initial protests of heading directly towards Arkham City, he had finally caved. Silas had recommended heading towards the island off the coast, G Island, first. That way, he could report back to his superiors in America and also gather information on the whereabouts of Belphegor's sister, the one it had called Chroma.

What the duo had reached the outskirts of the city, what they saw shocked them. The city had become overrun by creatures incredibly similar to the ones Irene had saw on the Moon. These ones were different, however, were different. They had wings, sharp claws and talons. Silas shivered.

"Birds…I hate birds."

"Do not fret, human. It appears we have reinforcements."

The machine was referring to the two large machines that stood at what appeared to be the remnants of the port to Arkham. One had a lion's chest, just like Belphegor. Silas could also make the other components out. "A high speed train for arms, a stealth bomber for wings, drill vehicles for legs…" He muttered as he saw one of the fists propel itself through the line of birds.

The other machine, however, was impossible to make out the components. It was clearly some new machine. It too launched a fist. This one, however, was tipped with a drill.

"**Broken Magnum!"**

"**Graviton Tornado Punch!"**

Belphegor leaped into action as well, nearly forcing Irene to hold onto the machine's metal mane. Its tail raised and revealed, much to Silas's surprise, a laser gun hidden beneath the actual tail component. It fired numerous times before the metal monster lunged forwards, leaping into the air as it did. Its claws connected with several of the beasts. As it did, Silas felt a surge run up through his stomach as he saw the creatures scatter blood in the air. He wanted to throw up. This wasn't what he wanted.

"Settle down, boy! If you cannot fight, you will be forced to leave!" Belphegor roared forward again, this time shifting its modes. Humanoid hands emerged from underneath the claws and the legs reversed in position. The machine slowly shifted its lion head into the center of the chest as well.

As it began to stand up, one of the humanoid machines drew a pistol from what appeared to be a holster located in its leg. The other machine, the one comprised of the different vehicles, began to spin the drill located on its knee.

"**Graviton Rifle!"**

"**Drill Knee!"**

The pilots of the other machines fought with much enthusiasm that it made Silas feel that he was dragging them down. They had to protect a new comer after all.

"Human, I requested you enter my mouth."

Silas raised an eyebrow. Did he hear what he had just heard?

"I insist. It will allow us to unify our strength and get rid of these fowl creatures instantly."

"The odds are against so if you think it will work…" Silas slid down on of the metal pieces of the manes and grabbed onto one of the metal fangs, working his way into the mouth. As he did, he heard a snap behind him. As he looked back, he noted that the opening had closed. Shaking his head, he continued onward.

When he finally arrived to the point where he couldn't travel anymore, he turned around. It was dark but Silas knew that it had to be here somewhere. He felt around. The sounds of crunching and gears shifting filled his ears. Lights began to flash as various screens lit up in the process, filling the dark space with light. "Great." Silas thought as he placed his feet downwards, below the newly lit console. He felt them hit something, which he assumed was a pedal. A screen lit up directly in front of him. It was a view of outside. He noted the two machines still fighting and the creatures still preventing themselves for being destroyed entirely.

"Do you feel that lever beside you, human? I want you to push it forward and push the pedal your foot is standing on at the moment."

Silas felt around. His hand had already been feeling something earlier. He reached towards where he thought it had been and pushed, while putting weight onto the pedal in front of him.

Acceleration soon filled his body. "This is…ridiculous! This is much more than a MS could do!"

Outside, the two machines were startled by Belphegor's startling speed. They ignited thrusters and got away out of the way. Belphegor's chest had started to glow. It stopped running as it neared where the vehicle robot had been standing. It turned its attention towards where the bird creatures hovered.

The chest had built up enough energy by now. Belphegor, reacting on its own, moved its hands out of the way and placed its metal reverse legs slightly wider.

"**FANG BLAZE IMPACT!"**

The machine's chest let loose. A steady stream of heat emerged from the humanoid head and the chest too released a massive ray of fire.

The birds scattered in an attempt to avoid the heat. They wouldn't make it. Each of them was caught in the heat and shortly after, disintegrated into a ball of pure fire. The only thing remaining was the feathers the creatures dropped.

"Guess I won't be having chicken for dinner today." Silas smirked, amazed by the recent turn of events and the power of his new found companion.

* * *

_50, 000 Light Years Away from the Milky Way;_

_Red eyes snapped open. The feeling of its breath once again laid on the crater it had come to call home. Fangs drew fresh blood from a new kill._

_The giant's body moved forward on what remained of a long cane between its hand. The fangs still dripping with blood, smiled._

"_Its key had awoken already." A voice, old and victim of many conflicts, spoke. "This is the second time in nearly a micro cycle." _

"_What of the ones we sent before? If the key is sending out signals for the second time…" This voice was vastly younger, naïve and fresh. Most importantly, female._

_A third voice spoke. "If that is the case, then we can assume the one we sent before triggered a reaction in the wielder's bio-rhythmic signals. The key alone holds control over the Shift. If it is already out of control,"_

_The first voice spoke again. "We may already be too late, my brother and sister. If the key has begun functioning without our input, the Beasts may have already awoken. We have lost the signal of the first one. The second, however, still lives on."_

_The second voice, "The Beasts alone can control the tears. If they've awoken and the signals have been interrupted, then that can only mean one thing is possible."_

_The first voice spoke again. This time, it spoke with a sense of absolute fear. The words of it spoke were forbidden but they were situations that they were called for. This one of those situations. _

"_Yes, the Amagi have awoken."_


	11. Chapter 09: Runaway Justice

**_To Gods, human desires were petty._**

**_To Beasts, human desires were desires they shared._**

**_To Machines, human desires were unknown._**

Episode 09:

Runaway Justice

~Calling Forth the Sealed Weapon~

To her, the existence of unknown factors presented a problem. After all, they had killed her friends. The monstrous beasts that had appeared out of the sky posed a very serious problem; not only to her but to others as well. The organization she was with at the moment, JUDA, had abandoned their conflict with the Katou Organization in an attempt to fend off the creatures for as long as took. She, along with the members of JUDA, felt uneasy about the current alliance.

One thing was for sure, deep in Kryska's mind. She would destroy the creatures, even if it cost her everything. It was only right after they had taken everything away from her.

"Shifting?" She asked Kunio Ishigami, the leader of the current JUDA + Katou Alliance. "I'm not familiar with the term."

"I would assume you would be familiar with the name at least," Katou stared her down; "Ms. Agari was it?"

"Shifting is a term used when one race of life forms, normally humans, experience lapses in history…" Katou spoke, "These lapses, the blanks in history, are actually points in time, not history, where mankind no longer exists."

"Periods in time where mankind no longer exists?" It made no sense. Mankind had always existed.

"The key you hold around your neck is not of this world." Katou pointed towards Kryska's neck. "It is of another, very similar to this one. The major difference being…" He raised his finger so that it pointed towards her head directly, "you were dead."

Kryska stood stunned. "I…was dead?"

Katou nodded. "Yes, you were. I don't see how it is possible that you are still alive in this Shift when they always go the same way. There is no way to change them unless an exterior force comes into contact. That key and your friends, that boy and machine, might have very well been that external force. Where did you get that key?"

"It's a memento from my father."

"Your father's name was Avian, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right. Where are you so interested in me anyway? It's kind of creepy a former enemy would be so interested in me. Are you…" Kryska tightened her fist. Just thinking it made her sick.

"No. Not like that. I wanted to make sure I was right, which it appears so." Katou smiled. "I knew your father. He was a pleasant fellow unto he fell to the very power that key around your neck holds."

"There's power…in this key?" Kryska couldn't help but laugh. How could a key, a regular ordinary key, hold any sort of power? Was this man serious? "You couldn't have played it any more serious, could you?"

"I'm not joking. You will understand when the time comes. Heed my warning, however. If you allow the power to corrupt you, you too will fall victim to the blanks between history and you, too, will be forgotten. I'm not expecting much from Avian's kid though."

Kryska ran forward. "You…" She threw her fist, but not before Katou's eyes flashed a pale yellow. One minute she had been throwing her punch but now, Katou had it within his own hand. He had caught her punch. "You…" She growled, "Just because you have some kind of power, you feel like you should show off! You're nothing but a monster! Aika was normal and he tried so hard! Why couldn't you people do anything if you had these powers?"

"Because it wasn't our fight."

"It wasn't your fight? Have you seen the news? Those creatures have become incredibly prominent all across the globe! Don't give me the 'It wasn't our fight' crap!"

"Listen," Katou dropped Kryska's hand and began to walk away. He stopped directly across from her ear. "Its name…is Amantes." He whispered so that only Kryska could hear.

"Amantes…" She repeated, underneath her breath. "The power of myself…"

Her fingers wrapped around the delicate key once again. "The power to have my..."

* * *

"_Power alone is not enough to change the world, Girl. I hope you realize that." _

"_I do but power can help me achieve it!" _

"_No! Power is only a means to an end! Tell me, what is your desire first and foremost?" _

"_My desire is to have my revenge for my friends' lives!" _

"_Revenge is such…a naïve goal. Is that the only reason you want my power?" _

"_It's not naïve! It's a just goal! I don't have the means of accomplishing it! That's why…" _

"_That's why you want my power, Girl? For such a petty thing as revenge?" _

"_Will you help me or not?" _

"_I will never help those who fight for such petty things!" _

* * *

"This model…I've seen it. This is the high-speed train that circles the tracks on G-Island, isn't it? This one too…It's the drill vehicle they used for search and rescue operations…Is that the Stealth Bomber that 3G uses for military operations?"

Silas was freaking out. He'd never such an assortment of machines. "I think I'm in love! All those vehicles…Now that I think about, why'd I join the Union as an MS pilot? I could have easily joined the ground forces and driven my own tank."

"Bah!" Belphegor sighed. "I will never understand you creatures. Why bother staying on the ground when you can fly?"

"I've said it before," Silas raised his finger; "I DON'T like birds. I believe firmly in that mankind should have only limited to sustained flight."

"Why though? It's only natural that people and creatures are drawn to the stars. Achieving the capability of surviving in outer space without aid, that's the pinnacle of evolution, is it not? Besides, you were fine flying with me."

"That's different. You're…you. You're not human. For all I know, that ability of yours is probably innate as in a part of you." Silas was already back examining the tanks.

"Enjoying the sights, boys?" The voice was thick with a Southern American accent, for thicker than Silas had ever heard. "You're not from 'round these parts, are you?"

"No, no." Silas followed the treads into where they became invisible. "I'm from America, particularly the Detroit area." Silas finished inspecting the tanks and turned around. He came to face-to-face with a blonde hair woman. "Space please."

"OH!" The woman covered her mouth and stuttered backwards. "I'm sorry I haven't even introduced myself. Everyone calls me Swan, so that will do."

"You work for 3G, I take it?" Silas noted the white uniform's shoulder patch. "Do you happen to know anything about the machine that was outside? It disappeared as soon we entered."

"You're already looking at it." Silas felt a hand touch his shoulder. It felt heavy for a hand so he grasped it. It was cold to the touch but after a moment, it was pleasant. A metal hand.

Gazing over towards the arm, Silas noted the golden metal. He was familiar with only a few people who had metal hands, let alone golden. The man's voice seemed familiar but at the same time, so distant.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Silas felt the hand leave his shoulder. "I can't say that you haven't grown since the last time we saw each other."

Silas turned around and tilted his head. "Should I…Should I recognize you?"

The stranger's body was clad in golden armor. From his head to his feet, it was all clad in the same golden metal that had touched his shoulder. The man also had bright blonde hair. Hovering above his eye was a green lens. He outstretched his fist.

"Huh?"

"You don't remember? You said you wanted to join the military. I wanted to be an astronaut."

"EH?!" Silas stumbled backwards, his feet scrambling for grip on the ground. His fingers caught onto something to use. He looked up. The blonde woman who had approached him only moments before looked down.

"Still the same old Silas, I see." The man ran a metal hand through his hair. "Allow me to introduce myself on behalf of the 3G organization. Guy Shishioh."

* * *

Reiji Moritsugu was on standby. Sitting in the cockpit of Vardant once again, he adjusted his glasses. "Nothing's changed." He spoke, referring to the behavior of JUDA's newfound guest. "Kryska Agari…" There was more information the girl wasn't telling any of them. "What did he want?" Reiji sighed, his mind flashing back towards Kryska's encounter with Katou and the official announcement of a newfound alliance between Katou and JUDA. "There's something going on here. I don't like it. Why did they form an alliance?"

"I don't know, Mr. Morritsugu." Yamashita's voice came over the coms as the yellow Hind Kind came into view. "I don't like it either but what are we going to do?"

"It's almost as if they know information that we don't." Reiji added, his eyes scanning the horizon and the cityscape. The area had been evacuated after Saver Guardian had exploded at the risk of left over radiation harming the civilians. What caught Reiji off guard was not anything involving the environment. On the horizon, a black spot had appeared. It drew closer and closer with startling speed. "Yamashita!"

The feminine looking boy had already taken to a sniping position; connecting Hind's lumbering dual cannons over its shoulders. "I'm already on it!"

The black dot had become clearer. Its body was rather smooth and curved. It had long and narrow legs which allowed it to run with startling speed. They were thin compared to the rest of the body. A central green spherical design littered the chest. Two horns protruded from what appeared to be a head. As it became clearer, Reiji's stomach knotted. Its face was demonic.

"Is that…" Yamashita too felt the confusion and panic. "Reiji!"

Reiji's eyes narrowed as he slowly removed his glasses, placing them into the chest pocket. His eyes lit up in a bright red. "That's it, all right. The one neither of us have, the Fifth."

Vardant dashed forward, the blue shadow being all that was left of the lumbering machine.

The black "demon" drew its own weapon, a katana stored in the joint between the arm and wrist.

"Out of the way!"

The demon's blade connected with Vardant's. Reiji's eyes, still red, darted across the strange machine. It was being piloted, but by who? "It's not Kizaki."

"You dare oppose the Hero of Justice?! I'll make you regret it!" A second blade emerged from the opposite shoulder. The Machina's free arm grabbed the blade and brought it down. Reiji reacted too slowly as the Machina's blade crashed. "How did you like that one?"

Reiji bit his lip, releasing Vardant's binders in the process. The gigantic binders rose into the air, resembling wings once they had fully opened.

"Now, Yamashita!"

Hind-Kind's twin cannons fired forward, sending two solid shells forward until they impacted the demon machine. Reiji took this as an opportunity to lunge Vardant forward. It attacked faster than the eye could see. Vardant had attacked the machine multiple times in the short span of time. Swords protruded from the machine's torso.

"Damn it!" The operator of the demon screamed. "Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!"

"Moritsugu" Yamashita cried out as he noticed the machine draw a weapon from its back. It was shaped like a gun but the way the operator forced the machine to hold it was reminiscent of a blade. "Hind...Hind's scared."

"So is Vardant." Reiji felt a menacing aura radiate from the machine he had just subdued. Green light had begun to focus around the tip of the gun it held. As Reiji thought for a moment, he saw Rachel's familiar short figure exit the main building. She was waving her hands, screaming. Reiji couldn't hear her. He switched on his open line.

"REIJI! YAMASHITA! GET OUT OF THERE THIS INSTANT!"

It was too late. The machine had fully charged its energy and had thrown everything it had at Vardant's blue frame. Reiji turned, struggling to face the unknown machine once again. For what appeared to be a moment, the machine's eyes were red and its face smiled.

* * *

"How are they doing?" Kryska walked towards the infirmary, with a bundle of roses in her hands. "I heard Vardant caught the blunt of the attack but Reiji would still suffer wounds from the heat, wouldn't he?"

Yui Ogawa nodded. "Its true that Vardant's inner frame took the majority of the damage but Hind's also out for the count. Satoru said that he was still able to fight but we decided to keep him in." As Ishigami's personal secretary, Yui had seen her own share of the commander's mistakes. This was not one of them.

"I see. Would you mind if I left these with you in that case?" Kryska motioned forward the bouquet of flowers. "I've got other things I need to do."

"I guess I could take them but, wait, Kryska!"

She was too late. Kryska had already taken off. Yui sighed as she gazed down at the roses. "What's gotten into her? She's fine today. Was it just a temporary lapse?" Yui shook her head as she looked inside the infirmary doors. "No, that's not it at all.

Kryska had left the general building and headed down to the Machina hanger. "Rachel would know if it's a Machina." In her hand, she held both her key and a personal laptop that she had swiped off of the Lost and Found area at the front of the building. "I just want to know."

When Kryska found Rachel Calvin, she was busy doing what she always did: working on the Machinas. She nodded at her companions who left the hanger in response.

"Amantes, huh?" She sighed. "Kryska, I can't be aware of everything that comes into this. If you want to know about this Amantes thing, shouldn't you be asking the person who told you about?"

"That would be..." Kryska looked down below. "Let's just say I don't want too."

"Then why did you come bother me?" Rachel turned her attention back to the screen fraught with numbers. "I'll try to help you after I'm done with the repairs."

"I'll be fine." Kryska began to walk out. "I'm just done."

"Krys, hey, Krys!"

* * *

Kryska laid on the grass, stretching her arms out behind her head. "Say, Aika, why'd you have to go and die?" She felt sick. "I just wanted to stay that you were the best thing that ever happened to me, even if I might've not shown it. You got me out of that place. You got me to see the world and actually talk with people. You're gone and I'm all alone again. Did you do it just to spite me? What would you say to me?" Her eyes were tired. "Even if the stars and fate separates us, I'll...I'll be joining you someday." Kryska grabbed her key from her neck. "I don't understand anything anymore. Everything seems to be going to hell now that you've died."

"Don't think I'm completely gone yet."

Kryska's eyes widened. "That voice..." She couldn't help but break into tears. "Kazuma...You're not dead!"

"Well, actually, technically, I am."

"What do you mean technically? Do you realize how worried sick I've been? Just show me your face."

"Kryska...I don't have long. It's just enough time to tell you this. DO NOT look for Amantes. Just don't. You have to trust me on this."

"Amantes is the key to finding out what my Dad was doing and Chroma is."

"Kryska...You never were one to give up. Fine, I'll tell you this then. Amantes is not what you are expecting. Do not look for it. If you thought the Chimeras were bad, Amantes is worse."

"Chimeras? Are those the names of those creatures that attacked?"

"Kryska...I'm warning you. Don't look into it. Get rid of that key as soon as you can."

"Kazuma... I... What is it that I can do?"

No response.

"He's gone. " Kryska wiped the tears away from her eyes. "He's really gone. What can I do now?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the switchblade she carried with her ever since she came to JUDA. "What is worth doing at this point?"

"They say if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well. That's what they say in America at least." A strange man, equipped with Gardener's clothing had approached Kryska. "You're Kryska Agari, right?"

"Yeah." Kryska raised her hand to place it even further behind her head. "You are?"

"Captain Amuro Ray, Londo Bell. I'm looking for Kazuma Resolute. Heard of him?"

Kryska's eyes flashed for a moment. Tears streamed down her face in an instant as she rushed forward. "Why could you have come sooner? He's dead because of your stupid Federation not supporting us!"

"He's dead?" Amuro's eyes widened. "That's..."

Kryska screamed. "Yeah, he's dead! All because of this stupid war! What the hell were those things? If they hadn't shown up, Aika would still be alive!"

Amuro had little knowledge of what had happened. All he could do was open his arms as the girl cried in his arms.

* * *

The two black wings emerged once again from the ashes of the burned corpse of the mechanical behemoth. They stretched towards the sky, leaving feathers in its place. A metal claw soon emerged from the core. It was then the head of the former Beast, named Chroma, shattered into thousands of pieces.

Revealing itself at last, the true form of the First Beast, emerged. Black wings outstretched and its metal claws on both hands extended, the bird-like head gazed up at the sky again. Littering it were thousands of black dots. They were growing larger as if they weren't black dots at all.

The Beast kicked off, as flames jettisoned themselves off of the Beast's back. The wings activated, giving it even further acceleration. The claws slid back, revealing cannons all along the arms.

Raising its metal hand, they fired. Numerous beams emerged, scattering all about the blackened sky. Each beam followed one of the growing black spots. Soon, the sky was fraught with red lines. The claws reengaged, covering the cannons as if they had never moved to begin with.

_"TARGET ACQUIRED. MOVING TO PRIMARY OBJECTIVE. RECIEVING INTERFACE DATA. MISSION PRIORITY: RECOVERY AND INTERCEPTION OF ALL ENEMY FORCES."_

The Beast moved again, this time heading towards the reverse direction.

Images flashed before the Beast. What appeared to be tears of black oil rolled down the Beast's eye slots.

"AI...KA."

Episode 09:

END

* * *

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW:

When a sudden attack by an Angel sends Tokyo-3 into a panic, the UN-funded corporation NERV will deploy its trump card, the Evangelion Unit 01. As Unit 01 struggles against the Angel, Kryska Agari and Silas Irene will come to face to face with each other and a startling secret.

Next Episode:

**REBIRTH/ REUNION:**

The secrets of the past will be revealed.

**H.E.A.V.E.N. SYSTEM, ACTIVATION.**


End file.
